Rick Perry announces Ebola task force 10/06/14 10:07 AM—UPDATED 10/06/14 11:43 PM facebook twitter 2 save share group 395 By Jane C. Timm and Ned Resnikoff With close to 4,000 documented cases of Ebola worldwide recorded as of this weekend, according to the CDC, American officials are working to isolate and prevent the disease from spreading in the U.S. Texas Gov. Rick Perry – whose state is currently handling the only confirmed case of Ebola diagnosed in the United States – announced a new task force Monday to handle the current Ebola outbreak and other infectious diseases in the future. Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian resident, is receiving treatment for the disease in Dallas. “Today, I issued an executive order creating the Texas task force on infectious disease and response,” Perry said, adding that it will “enhance our ability to quickly and effectively halt the spread of infectious disease.” HARDBALL WITH CHRIS MATTHEWS, 10/6/14, 7:00 PM ET NBC Ebola patient back in US Perry, who is openly contemplating a presidential run in 2016, thanked the federal government for its resources and support. But he also criticized the federal government for allowing the case in the U.S. and suggested that better screening precautions be implemented at airports. “There’s only so much that a state can do and many of the circumstances that lead to this,” he said. “Washington needs to take immediate steps to minimize” the risks of Ebola. Perry argued for screening procedures at border crossing areas for people traveling to the U.S. from Ebola hot spots. He also suggested taking passengers’ temperatures to “prevent contagions from entering the country.” After meeting with national security and health advisers on Monday, President Obama said during a press conference that the odds of an Ebola outbreak in the United States remain “extraordinarily low.” But he also noted that the administration would institute additional screening measures for people entering the United States. “The bottom line is we know how to stop it and it’s not going to spread widely in the U.S.,” Center for Disease Control Dr. Thomas Frieden said Sunday. The White House is constantly reevaluating their response plans, officials said, and may even deploy CDC officials to airports to screen for the Ebola, Andrea Mitchell reported Sunday.
Posted on: Mon, 13 Oct 2014 02:43:18 +0000
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