Obama urges nation not to give in to Ebola hysteria
Citizens, government and the media all need to unite in the fight against Ebola and not give in to hysteria or fear, President Obama said Saturday in his weekly radio address.
The president asked the nation to keep in mind that the current cases did not signify an outbreak or an epidemic in the United States and reiterated that the virus can be caught only through direct contact with the bodily fluids of someone already showing symptoms.
Obama used himself as an example saying he was not sick after meeting with doctors and nurses who had treated patients, as well as a person who had recovered from Ebola.
There has been some panic since two American nurses were diagnosed with the virus after treating Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person diagnosed in the U.S. and who died Oct. 8.
"We know how to fight this disease, we know the protocols, and we know when they're followed, they work," Obama said.
A rapid response team from the CDC and new screening measures in airports are among the efforts being made to fight the virus. These measures are constantly being reviewed, and knowledge is being shared so protocol mistakes like the ones in Dallas aren't repeated, Obama said.
The president said that although the disease needs to be stopped at its source, sealing off an entire region was nearly impossible and would likely worsen the situation. Such action would make it difficult to move health care workers as well as supplies and would cause residents in the affected region to change their travel plans to avoid screening.
Obama acknowledged the U.S. might see a few more isolated cases, as it would take time to fight the disease, but asked Americans to trust science and fact, not fear.