US working to block Ebola spread, says Rubio
Washington: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the Trump administration was working aggressively to prevent Ebola cases from entering the country, amid growing concern over the outbreak in parts of Africa.
Speaking during a Cabinet meeting chaired by President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday (local time), Rubio said the administration’s top priority was protecting Americans from any potential spread of the virus.
“We cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States,” Rubio said.
Rubio said the State Department, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and several other federal agencies were coordinating efforts to contain the outbreak in affected regions, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“We’ve surged assistance to make sure that that is being contained there,” Rubio said.
The Secretary of State added that US agencies were also monitoring travellers and border movements to ensure infected individuals did not enter the country.
“Americans should feel assured that the President and his administration is doing everything we can to protect them on that front,” Rubio said.
President Donald Trump did not elaborate extensively on the Ebola issue during the Cabinet meeting, which focused heavily on Iran, immigration, energy policy, defence spending and government fraud investigations.
Rubio’s comments came as the administration highlighted broader national security and border enforcement measures.
Earlier in the meeting, he said the US had secured agreements with 20 countries to accept deportees from the United States as part of efforts to tighten immigration enforcement.
The administration also linked health security to broader foreign policy priorities, with Rubio saying the “number one priority” of American foreign policy remained protecting US citizens.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has periodically faced Ebola outbreaks over the past decade, prompting international health responses led by local authorities, the World Health Organization and partner governments.
Ebola is a highly infectious viral disease that can spread through direct contact with infected bodily fluids and has a high fatality rate in severe outbreaks.
The United States has historically implemented enhanced airport screening, travel monitoring and international medical assistance during Ebola outbreaks abroad.
Previous outbreaks in West and Central Africa triggered global concern because of the speed at which the virus can spread across borders through international travel.
India has also monitored Ebola outbreaks closely because of increasing global mobility and international travel links with Africa and the Middle East.