Ebola Virus Outbreak News & Symptoms 2014: President Obama to Unveil Plan to Fight Disease in Africa
U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday will outline his plan to help African countries battle the worst Ebola outbreak in recorded history.
Leaders in the West African countries afflicted with the disease -- Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone -- have asked for international help to stop the spread of Ebola and Obama is expected to oblige, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.
The U.S. plan to rumored to involve more military involvement in West Africa, according to sources close to the plan. The affected countries have struggled to contain the disease, dealing with both a lack of resources and a public distrust.
The U.S. government has already pledged about $100 million to help Africa handle the outbreak. That money has and will go toward providing protective equipment to healthcare workers, food, water and medical equipment.
Obama is expected to ask Congress for more money -- possibly close to double the amount already committed -- to fund his Ebola plan. The president likely will outline the proposal during his Tuesday visit to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Reuters reported.
Last week, Liberia President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf made a direct plea to Obama for immediate help. She said that if Liberia didn't her urgent assistance, the country was likely to lose its battle against the disease. Reports on Monday have suggested that Ebola could ultimately undermine the Liberian government.
Liberia has gotten the worst of the disease, though Guinea and Sierra Leone also have been hit hard. More than half of the deaths from Ebola have happened in Liberia.
Part of the U.S. response will be the military building a 25-bed hospital to treat infected healthcare workers. The hospital will be run by Liberians.
The current outbreak, which started in Guinea, has now killed nearly 2,400 people in West Africa. About half of the people infected with the disease have died, as there is no direct cure.
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