The Ebola virus could become a "long-term risk" in the United States if it remains uncontrolled in Africa, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
"We have been very clear that as long as Ebola continues to spread in Africa, we can't make the risk zero here," CDC director Tom Frieden said Wednesday,
NBC News reported.
Frieden added officials "remain convinced we can contain the outbreak in West Africa," while warning: “If we fail to do that, it will be a very difficult situation, and it could become a long-term risk to the United States," the
Washington Examiner reports.
The CDC and World Health Organization report 8,033 people have been infected with Ebola, and 3,865 have died.
"We expect that as people are more concerned, as there is a higher index of suspicion, people will be scared, there will be rumors and concerns and potential cases, and that is how it should be," Frieden said, NBC News reported.
So far, airport screening in West Africa has caught 77 people with fevers and none had Ebola, Frieden said. "About one out of 500 travelers boarding a plane in West Africa has had a fever. Most of them have malaria."
With more screening, he adds, officials expect more false alarms.
Frieden remains adamantly opposed to closing flights from West Africa to the United States.
"The problem with that approach is it makes it extremely difficult to respond to the outbreak," Frieden said. "It’s difficult to get health care workers in, because they can’t get back out. It will then spread to other parts of Africa and increase the risk here.”