New U.S. Ambassador to Zambia Sworn In

On Tuesday October 9, 2014 Eric Shultz was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to Zambia at the State Department in Washington, DC.

Eric T. Schultz, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, most recently served as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, from 2010 to 2013. Previously, Mr. Schultz was the Minister Counselor for Economic Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia from 2007 to 2009. From 2004 to 2007, he was the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe. Prior to this, from 2002 to 2004, Mr. Schultz was the Deputy Director in the Office of European Security Policy at the Department of State. From 2000 to 2002, Mr. Schultz served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. He was the Deputy Director for Ukrainian, Moldovan, and Belarusian Affairs from 1998 to 2000 and the Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia from 1996 to 1998. Mr. Schultz received a B.A. from Macalester College and an M.A. from the University of Denver.

President Obama Provides an Update on the Ebola Outbreak

President Obama Hosts Conference Call on Ebola

President Barack Obama meets with members of his national security team and senior staff to receive an update on the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the Administration’s response efforts, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Oct. 6, 2014. Vice President Joe Biden participates via secure video conference. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
October 8, 2014

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT IN CONFERENCE CALL WITH STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS ON EBOLA

2:24 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Hey, everybody. Thanks for joining the call. Obviously, in your states and communities, you guys are on the front lines of public health every single day, working to keep the American people healthy and safe. And I thank you for that.

Right now, a lot of people’s attention is focused on our efforts to prevent an Ebola outbreak in the United States. And I want everybody to know that from day one, this administration has made fighting Ebola a national security priority. We don’t think this is just a humanitarian issue or a public health issue, this is a national security priority. And we are working aggressively to stop the epidemic in West Africa, to stop any cases in their tracks here at home.

On Monday, I met with my team to review our efforts. They’re here today to update you on what we’re doing, to answer your questions, make sure all of you have the information that you need to keep the people in your communities healthy and safe.

And the American people are reasonably concerned — Ebola is a terrible disease, and the fact that in an interconnected world infectious disease can be transported across borders is one of the reasons we have to take it seriously. At the same time, as I think all of us have tried to emphasize, it’s important that, as public officials, we know and reinforce the facts. Because we’ve got a world-class medical system, because we’ve put in place tough safety measures, because of the work that many of you have done in conjunction with organizations like the CDC and dealing with infectious disease generally, and because of the nature of Ebola and the fact that it’s not something involving airborne transmission, the chance of an Ebola outbreak in the United States remains extremely low.

Procedures are in place to evaluate anybody who might be showing symptoms. In recent months, thousands of travelers arrived here from West Africa, and so far, only one case of Ebola has been diagnosed in the United States, and that’s the patient in Dallas who we know, sadly, passed away, and our thoughts today are with his family.

But as we saw in Dallas, we don’t have a lot of margin for error. If we don’t follow protocols and procedures that are put in place, then we’re putting folks in our communities at risk. So we have to follow the procedures and protocols that have been established based on the science.

I want to thank Mayor Rawlings and County Judge Clay Jenkins in Dallas for their cooperation with our team and their leadership on the ground. We’re going to make sure that lessons learned in Dallas and clear procedures and protocols for health and safety officials are conveyed to all of you. Secretary Burwell and Dr. Frieden will talk to you about how we’re working with hospitals across the country so that local partners are truly prepared should someone who has a history of travel to the affected countries in West Africa start showing symptoms.

At the federal level, we are always reviewing and evaluating measures that we currently have in place. Today, we announced additional screening measures that will be phased in over the coming days and weeks at select airports around the country. And these measures are really just belt-and-suspenders — it’s an added layer of protection on top of the procedures already in place at several airports.

The new measures will include additional entry screening and questions for travelers arriving from the countries affected by Ebola. It will give us the ability to isolate, evaluate and monitor travelers as needed. And we’ll be able to collect any contact information that’s necessary. So you’ll hear all of this from my team shortly.

But let me close by reminding everybody that America has got the best doctors in the world. We know how to deal with infectious disease. I’m confident that so long as we work together, and we’re operating with an appropriate sense of urgency that we will prevent an outbreak from happening here. And in fact, some of the work that we’re doing together and the lessons learned from this experience will further strengthen our public health systems going into the future. Because there are going to be, unfortunately, other occasions where we know that there are infectious diseases out there, and in some cases the transmission may be swifter, and we’re going to have to be that much more ready.

So for the governors and the mayors and the county officials on the line, I’ve instructed my teams to do whatever federal assistance they can to make sure you’re ready to respond should someone be diagnosed with Ebola in your state. We’re going to have to be partners in this fight. Anybody who has any questions, information or suggestions, that’s why my team organized this call. They want to make sure that they’re getting feedback from you in terms of what you think will be most helpful.

I want to thank you guys, not just for joining us on the call today, but, more importantly, for the critical work you do every day to keep us healthy and safe.

END 2:32 P.M. EDT

CDC Announces New Measures for Travelers from West Africa

CDC Media Relations              DHS Office of Public Affairs
Press Release
October 8, 2014

ENHANCED EBOLA SCREENING TO START AT FIVE U.S. AIRPORTS FOR ALL PEOPLE ENTERING U.S. FROM EBOLA-AFFECTED COUNTRIES

New layers of screening at airports that receive more than 94% of West African Travelers

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs & Border Protection (CBP) this week will begin new layers of entry screening at five U.S. airports that receive over 94 percent of travelers from the Ebola-affected nations of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

New York’s JFK International Airport will begin the new screening on Saturday. In the 12 months ending July 2014, JFK received nearly half of travelers from the three West African nations. The enhanced entry screening at Washington-Dulles, Newark, Chicago-O’Hare, and Atlanta international airports will be implemented next week.

“We work to continuously increase the safety of Americans,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “We believe these new measures will further protect the health of Americans, understanding that nothing we can do will get us to absolute zero risk until we end the Ebola epidemic in West Africa.”

“CBP personnel will continue to observe all travelers entering the United States for general overt signs of illnesses at all U.S. ports of entry and these expanded screening measures will provide an additional layer of protection to help ensure the risk of Ebola in the United States is minimized,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson. “CBP, working closely with CDC, will continue to assess the risk of the spread of Ebola into the United States, and take additional measures, as necessary, to protect the American people.”

CDC is sending additional staff to each of the five airports. After passport review:

• Travelers from Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone will be escorted by CBP to an area of the airport set aside for screening.
• Trained CBP staff will observe them for signs of illness, ask them a series of health and exposure questions and provide health information for Ebola and reminders to monitor themselves for symptoms. Trained medical staff will take their temperature with a non-contact thermometer.
• If the travelers have fever, symptoms or the health questionnaire reveals possible Ebola exposure, they will be evaluated by a CDC quarantine station public health officer. The public health officer will again take a temperature reading and make a public health assessment. Travelers, who after this assessment, are determined to require further evaluation or monitoring will be referred to the appropriate public health authority.
• Travelers from these countries who have neither symptoms/fever nor a known history of exposure will receive health information for self-monitoring.

Entry screening is part of a layered process that includes exit screening and standard public health practices such as patient isolation and contact tracing in countries with Ebola outbreaks. Successful containment of the recent Ebola outbreak in Nigeria demonstrates the effectiveness of this approach.

These measures complement the exit screening protocols that have already been implemented in the affected West African countries, and CDC experts have worked closely with local authorities to implement these measures. Since the beginning of August, CDC has been working with airlines, airports, ministries of health, and other partners to provide technical assistance for the development of exit screening and travel restrictions in countries affected by Ebola. This includes:

• Assessing the capacity to conduct exit screening at international airports;
• Assisting countries with procuring supplies needed to conduct exit screening;
• Supporting with development of exit screening protocols;
• Developing tools such as posters, screening forms, and job-aids; and
• Training staff on exit screening protocols and appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE)

Today, all outbound passengers are screened for Ebola symptoms in the affected countries. Such primary exit screening involves travelers responding to a travel health questionnaire, being visually assessed for potential illness, and having their body temperature measured. In the last two months since exit screening began in the three countries, of 36,000 people screened, 77 people were denied boarding a flight because of the health screening process. None of the 77 passengers were diagnosed with Ebola and many were diagnosed as ill with malaria, a disease common in West Africa, transmitted by mosquitoes and not contagious from one person to another.

Exit screening at airports in countries affected by Ebola remains the principal means of keeping travelers from spreading Ebola to other nations. All three of these nations have asked for, and continue to receive, CDC assistance in strengthening exit screening.

###

Fact Sheet
Oct. 8, 2014

SCREENING OF TRAVELERS AT AIRPORTS

This fact sheet helps explain the measures the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection, and their partners are taking at airports both in the United States and in affected countries in West Africa to prevent the spread of Ebola.

Exit screening in countries with Ebola outbreaks
Since the beginning of August, CDC has been working with airlines, airports, ministries of health, and other partners to provide technical assistance to countries with Ebola outbreaks. CDC has helped affected countries screen departing travelers from these countries (exit screening). Exit screenings are conducted at airports in these outbreak-affected countries to look for sick travelers or travelers exposed to Ebola and to delay them from boarding an airplane until it is safe for them to travel.

We continue to support and strengthen exit screening in these countries with CDC staff, protocols, and educational materials.

What exit screening looks like
Exit screening might look a little different in each country but contains the same basic elements.

1. All travelers
• Have their temperature taken
• Answer questions about their health and exposure history
• Are visually assessed for signs of potential illness

2. Travelers with symptoms or possible exposures to Ebola are separated and assessed further.

3. This assessment determines whether they are
• Allowed to travel
• Not allowed to travel on a commercial flight and referred to public health authorities for further evaluation

Entry screening in the United States

Looking for sick travelers at U.S. airports
Every day, CDC works closely with partners at U.S. international airports and other ports of entry to look for sick travelers with possible contagious diseases. These measures will be enhanced to detect possible cases of Ebola.

Because of the Ebola outbreak, CDC and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are beginning enhanced entry screening of travelers who have traveled from or through Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. By doing enhanced entry screening at 5 U.S. airports, we will evaluate over 94% of travelers from the affected countries. Our staff at all airports remain trained and ready to respond to any reports of ill travelers, and our robust public health system is prepared to respond and assist.

What enhanced U.S. entry screening looks like
For each arriving traveler who has been in Guinea, Liberia, or Sierra Leone:

1. CBP will give each traveler health information that includes
• Information about Ebola
• Symptoms to look for and what to do if symptoms develop
• Information for doctors if travelers need to seek medical attention

2. Travelers will undergo screening measures to include:
• Answer questions to determine potential risk
• Have their temperature taken
• Be observed for other symptoms of Ebola

3. If a traveler has a fever or other symptoms or has been exposed to Ebola, CBP will refer to CDC to further evaluate the traveler.
CDC will determine whether the traveler
• Can continue to travel
• Is taken to a hospital for evaluation, testing, and treatment
• Is referred to a local health department for further monitoring and support

Entry screening is a part of a layered approach. When used with other public health measures, entry screening can strengthen our efforts to battle this virus. It is important that we act as global citizens, continuing to put our full weight behind response efforts in West Africa and providing support for those traveling here from that region.

###

Dallas Ebola Patient, Thomas Eric Duncan, Dies

Photo: WFAA)

Story: New York Times

By MANNY FERNANDEZ
OCT. 8, 2014

DALLAS — Thomas Eric Duncan, 42, the patient with the first case of Ebola diagnosed in the United States and the Liberian man at the center of a widening public health scare, died in isolation at a hospital here on Wednesday, hospital authorities said.

Mr. Duncan died at 7:51 a.m. at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, more than a week after the virus was detected on Sept. 30. His condition had worsened in recent days to critical from serious as medical personnel worked to support his fluid and electrolyte levels, crucial to recovery in a disease that causes bleeding, vomiting and diarrhea. Mr. Duncan was also treated with an experimental antiviral drug, brincidofovir, after the Food and Drug Administration approved its use on an emergency basis.

Hours after the death, hospital officials said that a second patient had been admitted after reporting possible exposure to Ebola.

“Right now, there are more questions than answers about this case,” the hospital said. Two medical workers in protective suits could be seen helping a man walk into the hospital from an ambulance.

Health officials in Dallas said the man might have had contact with family members of Mr. Duncan‘s. Sgt. Chris Dyer, president of the Dallas County Sheriff’s Association, told a local NBC affiliate that the man was a sheriff’s deputy who had been in the apartment where Mr. Duncan stayed.

Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that the man did not appear to have the virus. “We don’t have a concern for symptoms consistent with Ebola or definite contact,” Dr. Frieden said, but “he is being assessed.”

After Mr. Duncan arrived at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on Sept. 20, he set off a chain of events that raised questions about health officials’ preparedness to detect and contain the deadly virus. His case spread fear and anxiety among those he encountered, however briefly, and turned the places, vehicles and items he touched into biohazardous sites that were decontaminated, dismantled, stored or, in some cases, incinerated.

State health officials said that they would follow C.D.C. guidelines in handling Mr. Duncan’s remains, sealing the body in two bags and disinfecting the bags. The sealed bags can be transported without the need for protective gear for those not directly handling the remains, officials said.

The body will be cremated — a process that will kill any virus in the body so the remains can be returned to the family. “We will continue to treat Mr. Duncan with dignity and respect,” said Dr. David Lakey, the commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, “and we’re taking great care to make sure there is no additional risk that others could be infected.”

Local, state and federal officials have expressed confidence that they have been able to limit the spread of the disease in Dallas and said Wednesday that none of the people being monitored had shown any symptoms of the virus.

Officials are monitoring 48 people in the Dallas area, most of whom have not been quarantined but are instead staying home while they are under observation. Ten of those are considered high risk, including seven health care workers and three relatives and community members who had contact with Mr. Duncan. The other 38 are considered low risk, and include people who may or may not have had direct or indirect contact with Mr. Duncan.

The mayor of Dallas, Mike Rawlings, also offered some assurance to Dallas residents. “I remain confident in the abilities of our health care professionals and the medical advances here in the U.S.,” Mr. Rawlings said, “and reassure you we will stop the Ebola virus in its tracks from spreading into our community.”

Mr. Duncan’s death renewed the focus on the hospital’s handling of the case and why he was initially sent home after seeking treatment. Mr. Duncan first went to the emergency room at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital feeling ill on Sept. 25, five days after arriving in Dallas. He was released by the hospital, which had failed to view him as a potential Ebola case for reasons that remain unclear. He returned there and was admitted Sept. 28 after his condition worsened.

Since then, the hospital’s release of information has been marked by contradictory statements. It apparently provided the C.D.C. and its own administrators with the wrong date for when Mr. Duncan first went to the hospital, originally saying that it was Sept. 26 but later clarifying that it was Sept. 25. One hospital statement continues to include the wrong date of Mr. Duncan’s diagnosis, which was confirmed on Sept. 30 but is noted as Sept. 29 in the statement.

In explaining why Mr. Duncan was initially sent home, the hospital said at first that there had been a flaw in the records system and suggested that while the nurses might have had access to the information about his travel history, the doctor who treated Mr. Duncan had not. But the hospital later retracted its claim that the records system was to blame, explaining that there was no flaw in the system and that the physician could indeed have viewed information about Mr. Duncan’s travels from Africa.

“I trust a thorough examination will take place regarding all aspects of his care,” Louise Troh, 54, the woman Mr. Duncan had traveled to Dallas to see, said in a statement released at Wilshire Baptist Church.

U.S. Troops Head to Africa for Ebola Mission

The Army’s 101st Airborne Division, based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, will provide about 700 of the 1,400 troops expected to head to Liberia in October. (Fort Campbell)

Photo & Story: Army Times

By Andrew Tilghman, Patricia Kime and Michelle Tan
Staff writers

September 30, 2014

About 1,400 soldiers will head to Liberia in October to help support the fight against the Ebola virus that is spreading across West Africa, a Pentagon official said Tuesday.

The Army’s 101st Airborne Division, based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, will provide about 700 of those soldiers, while the other 700 will be mostly combat engineers culled from Army units across the force, Defense Department spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby told reporters.

The soldiers will be among the total of 3,000 U.S. troops whom the Pentagon plans to send into West Africa this fall.

About 300 of the troops from the 101st Airborne will come from the division headquarters, and they will serve as the Joint Force Command for the mission. They are expected to arrive by the end of October.

“Operation United Assistance is a critical mission,” said Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky, commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division, in a statement. We will coordinate all of the Department of Defense resources in Liberia to support USAID and the government of Liberia to contain the Ebola virus and, ultimately, save lives.”

The U.S. military mission will include building 17 100-bed hospital facilities and a health care facility for infected physicians and health care workers.

U.S. troops will not provide direct care to patients infected with the Ebola virus, according to the Pentagon.

More than 3,000 people have died in the current Ebola epidemic and at least 6,574 have been infected, according to the World Health Organization.

Dr. Steve Monroe, deputy director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Disease at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said during a conference call on Tuesday that the outbreak is considered nearly contained in Nigeria and Senegal, which saw just 20 and 1 case, respectively.

But in the most affected nations, including Liberia, where troops are heading, and Sierra Leone, the number of cases are doubling
roughly every three weeks, he added.

“The most important thing we can do right now is get cases in isolation so we can stem this outbreak,” Monroe said.

The CDC estimates the disease could affect up to 1.4 million people by January if it’s not contained.

Josh Michaud, associate director of global health policy for the Kaiser Foundation, said more than 300 U.S. government workers are in the affected countries, including 28 employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development, more than 100 CDC workers and roughly 200 military personnel.

Those troops include Army Maj. Gen. Darryl Williams, commander of U.S. Army Africa and Operation United Assistance, as the deployment is being called, and dozens of Navy Seabees who are laying the foundations for construction of the new Ebola care facilities.

When the 101st Airborne Division soldiers deploy, Volesky will take over for Williams, who will return to his duties as commander of U.S. Army Africa.

About 300 soldiers from the division headquarters will deploy to Monrovia, said Lt. Col. Brian DeSantis, the 101st Airborne’s spokesman. The rest of the soldiers will come from the division’s sustainment brigade and the 86th Combat Support Hospital.

The remaining 700 or so soldiers, as announced by Kirby, will come from across the Army.

“It will be very humanitarian-assistance focused,” DeSantis said.

Deploying units will include lift aviation, field hospital assets, transportation soldiers and engineers, he said.

While deployed, the soldiers will be responsible for building some Ebola treatment units and providing logistical support to USAID.

“We also have the responsibility of setting up the training for approximately 500 aid workers per week that will go out and actually staff the [Ebola treatment units],” DeSantis said.

Another priority is force protection, he said.

“We’re making sure all the soldiers who deploy, not just from Fort Campbell but across the Army, get all the training required to protect themselves from Ebola,” he said.

Deploying soldiers should have a “very, very low” risk of contracting Ebola, DeSantis said.

“If anything, there are other health risks we’re more concerned about, and we’ll mitigate those,” he said.

One example is malaria, which is more prevalent in Liberia than Iraq or Afghanistan, he said.

“Protecting the health of our Soldiers is our number one priority,” Volesky said in his statement. “Before our Soldiers deploy they will be trained on how to protect themselves from Ebola and all other potential health risks found in Liberia.”

A DoD spokeswoman said last week the department will make “every effort to ensure that U.S. personnel on the ground and all health care workers” are protected.

Troops will receive regionally specific training on Ebola prevention, malaria prevention and other medical threats and also are required to have immunizations ranging from chickenpox, influenza and hepatitis to yellow fever and pneumococcal vaccines, according to a DoD official.

The department has been involved in research on Ebola treatments and preventives for more than two decades.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said last week the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research received approval to begin safety testing of a potential vaccine.

However, health experts, including Monroe and Sophie Delaunay, executive director of Medecins Sans Frontieres, have cautioned that an effective vaccine is still months from development.

“In the meantime, we need to increase the access to isolation units,” Delaunay said during a web seminar for reporters Tuesday sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division will form a headquarters element for the 3,000-troop mission that is estimated to last about six months.

Secretary Kerry Issues Statement on Guinea’s National Day

Department of State
Washington, DC
October 1, 2014

On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I congratulate the people of Guinea as you commemorate 56 years of independence on October 2.

The United States shares a long and productive relationship with Guinea and recognizes the progress that the people of Guinea have made promoting democracy and shared economic prosperity. We look forward to continuing our close partnership in the areas of health, women’s rights, agricultural development, good governance, transparency in the mining sector, and regional stability.

On this joyous holiday, I send best wishes for a peaceful and prosperous future.