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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsOMG!!! Obama hugged Ebola doctors and an Ebola patient!
Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
October 18, 2014
Today, I want to take a few minutes to speak with you directly and clearly about Ebola: what were doing about it, and what you need to know. Because meeting a public health challenge like this isnt just a job for government. All of us citizens, leaders, the media have a responsibility and a role to play. This is a serious disease, but we cant give in to hysteria or fear because that only makes it harder to get people the accurate information they need. We have to be guided by the science. We have to remember the basic facts.
First, what were seeing now is not an outbreak or an epidemic of Ebola in America. Were a nation of more than 300 million people. To date, weve seen three cases of Ebola diagnosed here the man who contracted the disease in Liberia, came here and sadly died; the two courageous nurses who were infected while they were treating him. Our thoughts and our prayers are with them, and were doing everything we can to give them the best care possible. Now, even one infection is too many. At the same time, we have to keep this in perspective. As our public health experts point out, every year thousands of Americans die from the flu.
Second, Ebola is actually a difficult disease to catch. Its not transmitted through the air like the flu. You cannot get it from just riding on a plane or a bus. The only way that a person can contract the disease is by coming into direct contact with the bodily fluids of somebody who is already showing symptoms. Ive met and hugged some of the doctors and nurses whove treated Ebola patients. Ive met with an Ebola patient who recovered, right in the Oval Office. And Im fine.
MORE:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/10/17/weekly-address-what-you-need-know-about-ebola
http://theobamadiary.com/
Baitball Blogger
(46,711 posts)He is trying to avoid what happened with AIDS, when patients were stigmatized.
That's what you call compassionate leadership.
malaise
(269,004 posts)Fred Sanders
(23,946 posts)postulater
(5,075 posts)As Aaron Rodgers says, "Relax."