Obama Calls For Action Against Ebola

(Photo : Getty Images/John Churchman)

 

President Barack Obama seems to think that the United States must make strides in helping the Ebola outbreak to come to a halt. Ebola, he says, could potentially threatens Americans. 

Obama's new release comes after global health officials called world leaders out for not coming to the aid of West Africa. 

The outbreak, he says, is unlikely to spread to the U.S. in the short term. If the outbreak continues to occur, it is more likely to spread to other countries, according to Reuters.

The virus has killed 2,100 people in Africa and the president is concerned that if it continues to spread, it could greatly affect the U.S. If the U.S. and other countries do not send utilities needed to fight the epidemic, there could be implications.
Last week, the United Nations said that $600 million in supplies were needed in order to fight the epidemic.
"If we don't make that effort now, and this spreads not just through Africa but other parts of the world, there's the prospect then that the virus mutates. It becomes more easily transmittable," said President Obama.
The president has ranked this epidemic as a national security issue, according to Fox News. Essentially, the virus could become a great threat to Americans, especially if it reaches American soil.
"We're going to have to get U.S. military assets just to set up, for example, isolation units and equipment there, to provide security for public health workers surging from around the world," said Obama.
Although sending help would still mean months before the epidemic would be under control, the president believes that it could prevent the virus from ever reaching the shores of the country.
The outbreak has been spotted all over western Africa. First identified in Guinea in March, the Ebola virus has spread into Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal.
There are no approved treatments for the Ebola virus at this time.