WASHINGTON, Oct 23 (KUNA) -- US President Barack Obama said the White House was "cautiously more optimistic" about the situation with Ebola in the United States.
Dozens of people who had initial interaction with deceased Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan, including his family and friends, have been cleared, "and we are confident that they do not have Ebola," Obama said in remarks in the Oval Office, late on Wednesday.
This shows how difficult it is to get the disease, the President said, noting that, "These are people, in some cases, who were living with Mr. Duncan and had fairly significant contact with him." The two nurses who treated Duncan at Texas Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas and contracted Ebola "seem to be doing better, and we continue to think about them," Obama said.
In addition, two American patients who got Ebola outside the United States but were brought to the US to be treated have been cleared, "and we are obviously very happy about that," Obama said. Finally, according to the World Health Organization, both Nigeria and Senegal are Ebola-free, the President noted. Those countries adjoin Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, the three West African countries that are experiencing the most severe aspects of Ebola. "And again, it gives you some sense that when it is caught early, and where the public health infrastructure operates effectively, this outbreak can be stopped," Obama said. Plans are in place to prevent a repeat of some of the problems with the protocols that took place in Dallas, he said.
"We now are very confident that if any additional cases came up in Texas, that there is a plan in place where they would go receive first-class treatment," Obama said. "And we continue to actively monitor those who remain at risk because they were involved in Mr. Duncan's treatment .. and each day, more and more folks are cleared and can be confident that they do not have Ebola." "We surged resources both to Dallas and to Cleveland, making sure that the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) is on the ground so that if additional cases arise out of the Dallas situation, as well as the second nurse who flew to Cleveland, that we are on the ground, and we do not repeat any problems with respect to the protocols that have to be followed," the President said.
The CDC has refined and put in place guidelines -- in terms of protective gear and how it is disposed, and the monitoring of anybody who might have Ebola -- that are tighter, he said. "I am confident that over the course of several weeks and months, each hospital working in conjunction with public health officials in those states are going to be able to train and develop the kinds of systems that ensure that people are prepared if and when a case like this comes up, and that ultimately is going to be the most important thing,"
The US President also mentioned the arrival monitoring at U.S. airports of travelers arriving from West Africa, as well as follow-up monitoring of such passengers.
On the international front, the good news is that along with the billion dollars that the United States is contributing, "we have now seen an additional billion dollars from the world community to start building isolation units in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone," Obama said. "Health workers are beginning to surge there. We have got 100 CDC personnel on the ground, as well as more than 500 military personnel." "We are already starting to see some very modest signs of progress in Liberia," he said. "We are concerned about some spike in cases in Guinea." Meanwhile, President Obama convened a telephone call with health-care workers at Texas Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas on Wednesday to thank them for their "courage and perseverance" in dealing with the first cases of Ebola to appear in the United States, the White House announced.
Obama "conveyed his thoughts and prayers to their two colleagues who were infected with Ebola and wished them a speedy recovery," said the statement.
He emphasized the importance of integrating lessons learned from Dallas into response plans going forward, and reviewed the additional steps that have been taken to strengthen the nation's ability to respond quickly and effectively should new Ebola cases emerge.
"The President concluded by noting the difficult conditions under which doctors, nurses, lab technicians and care-givers work on a daily basis in hospitals throughout the country, and praised Texas Presbyterian staff for staying focused on the vital mission of caring for others in times of need regardless of the difficult circumstances," it said. (end) rm.rk