President Barack Obama said Sunday that the United States must lead efforts in containing the Ebola outbreak, warning about the possibility of a bigger threat to the country if it doesn't act now.
In an interview with NBC's Meet the Press, Obama noted that Americans shouldn't worry about Ebola because it's not an airborne disease, meaning it is no immediate threat to the U.S. However, if the country doesn't act now to stem the outbreak and the virus spreads, it may evolve to become more easily transmittable, then becoming a serious danger to Americans.
Obama hasn't outlined specific plans yet but U.S. troops may be deployed to affected areas to help establish isolation units and provide health workers with security. "When I go before Congress, and I say, 'Let's give some public health aid to countries like Liberia, so that they can set up hospitals and nurses and vaccinations, et cetera,' you know, sometimes, you know, the American public says, 'Why are we wasting money on them?' When we make those short-term investments now, it really pays a lot of dividends in the future," explained Obama.
Brownie Samukai, Liberia's Defense Minister, welcomed Obama's announcement as his country is one of the hardest hit by the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. "We had discussions at the Department of Defense on the issues of utilizing and requesting the full skill of United States capabilities, both on the soft side and on the side of providing logistics and technical expertise... And, we as a country are extremely pleased with the announcement that we have heard, and we look forward to that cooperation as expeditiously as we can," he said.
According to the United Nations, about $600 million will be needed to curb the Ebola outbreak. This will include not only dealing with health issues in Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone but will also provide socio-economic aid to help the countries get back on their feet.
National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said that the U.S. Government had already spent over $100 million in West Africa, but the U.S. Agency for International Development said that there are plans to make an extra $75 million available and an additional $88 million for sending more personnel from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
American Ebola survivor Dr. Keith Brantly reiterated that West African governments are overwhelmed, addressing the international community for help. "This is a global problem, and it requires the action of national governments around the world," he said.
