Barack Obama expressed optimism regarding the crisis caused by the Ebola virus in the United States, as new rules for screening were implemented. The comments came after a meeting with Ron Klain – the head of the Ebola response team, a newly formed medical service. Barack Obama said that most of the relatives of Thomas Eric Duncan, the only known person to have died of the Ebola virus in America, appear to be out of danger and have been released from quarantine. He also noted that the two nurses infected with the deadly Ebola virus after treating Thomas Eric Duncan “seem to be doing better”. In Texas, the second US citizen to contract Ebola from Thomas Duncan – Nurse Amber Vinson, tested negative for the Ebola virus screening, according to doctors. The president added that the progress in Liberia also shows “modest signs” of improvement, this being the most affected country in West Africa where the death toll is now approximated to more than 4,800, with 322 known cases since the last report from World Health Organization last week. He mentioned that the declaration of WHO also stated that Nigeria is now free from Ebola, which is also a hopeful sign.
New measures have also been imposed on plane travelers, requiring passengers that arrive from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea to reach US only via Atlanta, Washington’s Dulles, O’Hare in Chicago, JFK and Newark airports where they must pass through special centers that have been recently created for enhanced screening. The concern comes as these three countries are known to practice cult burials and church gatherings in big numbers where the risk of the infection being transmitted is higher. Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, England’s second-highest cleric said: “Don’t think that by not going to church because you are infected somehow there will be a bolt from the blue really smashing your head”.
In a separate development, doctors in Spain said that Teresa Romero, the first person to contract the virus outside Africa, is completely clear of the virus after a second round of tests. Also in Switzerland, the first batches of a new experimental vaccine against Ebola are due to arrive.