--- title: Obama on Ebola Response: The U.S. Will Send in Personnel and Funds description: Obama confirms U.S. efforts to lead the charge against the Ebola virus sweeping through West Africa canonical: https://time.com/3387646/obama-on-ebola-the-world-is-looking-to-us/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-09-16T21:43:06.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:49:53.175Z article:section: Politics og:title: Obama on Ebola: 'The World Is Looking to Us' og:description: Obama confirms U.S. efforts to lead the charge against the Ebola virus sweeping through West Africa og:url: https://time.com/3387646/obama-on-ebola-the-world-is-looking-to-us/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3251c42b3a96e628/6986a3b155a8596a77a8299a/obama-cdc.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: US President Barack Obama makes a statement following meetings at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Sept.16, 2014 in Atlanta. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Obama on Ebola: 'The World Is Looking to Us' twitter:description: Obama confirms U.S. efforts to lead the charge against the Ebola virus sweeping through West Africa twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3251c42b3a96e628/6986a3b155a8596a77a8299a/obama-cdc.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Obama on Ebola: 'The World Is Looking to Us' > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: President Obama's Message on the Ebola Virus [Watch (HLS stream): President Obama's Message on the Ebola Virus](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/aZyTTVIP.m3u8) (2:25)  _Published 2014-09-16. President Obama's Message on the Ebola Virus_ by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) and [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/) Sep 16, 2014 9:43 PM UTC  US President Barack Obama makes a statement following meetings at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Sept.16, 2014 in Atlanta. US President Barack Obama makes a statement following meetings at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Sept.16, 2014 in Atlanta. Mandel Ngan—AFP/Getty Images by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) and [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/) Sep 16, 2014 9:43 PM UTC President Barack Obama confirmed the U.S.’s renewed and bolstered efforts to combat the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in a press conference Tuesday at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. The U.S. [has committed](http://time.com/3380545/u-s-to-commit-500-million-deploy-3000-troops-in-ebola-fight/) to sending a deployment of 3,000 U.S. military forces and over $500 million in defense spending to West Africa, a response the President says is a national-security priority since the epidemic has “profound security implications.” “Faced with this outbreak, the world is looking to us, the United States, and it’s a responsibility that we embrace,” said the President. “It’s a potential threat to global security if these countries break down, if their economies break down, if people panic. That has profound effects on all of us, even if we are not directly contracting the disease.” Obama spent the day at the CDC headquarters to talk about the U.S. response — called Operation United Assistance — and to thank health care workers dealing with the outbreak. Before leaving Washington to travel down to Atlanta, Obama met with Ebola survivor Dr. Kent Brantly and his wife Amber. Brantly was in the nation’s capital to testify before Congress about the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Brantly contracted Ebola while treating patients in Liberia as a missionary doctor for the organization Samaritan’s Purse. “\[I am\] grateful to \[Dr. Brantly\] and his family for the service he has rendered to people who are a lot less lucky than all of us,” Obama said Tuesday. During his Atlanta trip, Obama also met the Emory University Hospital doctors who have been treating American patients with Ebola evacuated to the U.S. The WHO has [reported](http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/133546/1/roadmapupdate16sept14%5Feng.pdf?ua=1) 4,963 cases of Ebola and 2,453 deaths in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Obama says the U.S. has four central goals: to control the outbreak, address the ripple effect, coordinate a broader global response, and urgently build up a public-health system for the countries for the future. “This massive ramp-up of support from the United States is precisely the kind of transformational change we need to get a grip on the outbreak and begin to turn it around,” said Dr. Margaret Chan, the director general of the World Health Organization in a statement sent to media. As part of the U.S. effort to combat the outbreak, Department of Defense personnel will offer training and epidemic logistics. At the request of the Liberian government, the U.S. will set up a military command center in Liberia, led by Major General Darryl Williams, commander of U.S. Army forces in Africa. The Pentagon is also poised to deliver 130,000 sets of personal protective equipment and thousands of kits that can be used for disease diagnostics. Africa Command engineers will be constructing several additional treatment facilities and more than 1,000 beds, and will train up to 500 health care workers a week. In his press conference, Obama reiterated that the threat of Ebola spread in the U.S. is extremely low. “The reality is that this epidemic is going to get worse before it gets better,” concluded Obama. “The United States of America intends to do more … We’re going to continue to make sure that the world understands the need for them to step alongside us.” ## Transcript Hello. I wanna take a few moments to speak directly to you, the people of west Africa, especially in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Nigeria. On behalf of the American people, I want you to know that our prayers are with those of you who have lost loved ones during this terrible outbreak of Ebola. Along with our partners around the world, the United States is working with your government to help stop this disease. And the first step in this fight is knowing the facts. First, Ebola is not spread through the air like the flu. You cannot get it from casual contact like sitting next to someone on a bus. You cannot get it from another person until they show the symptoms of the disease, like fever. Second, the most common way you can get Ebola is by touching the body fluids of someone who's sick or has died from it, like their sweat, saliva, or blood. Or through a contaminated item, like a needle. That's why the disease is continuing to spread where patients are being cared for at home, or during burials, when families and friends lay their loved ones to rest. That's why health care workers wear protection like gloves and masks. It's why if you feel sick with a high fever, you should get help right away. Because with prompt treatment in a medical center, nearly half of patients can recover. And it's why when burying someone who has died from this terrible disease, it's important to not directly touch their body. You can respect your traditions and honor your loved ones without risking the lives of the living. Stopping this disease won't be easy, but we know how to do it. You are not alone. Together we can treat those who are sick with respect and dignity. We can save lives. And our countries can work together to improve public health, so this kind of outbreak doesn't happen again. In this urgent work and in building a stronger and more prosperous Africa, you'll continue to have a partner in me. 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