By — Larisa Epatko Larisa Epatko Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/obama-speaking-ebola-united-nations Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Obama: ‘We are not moving fast enough’ on Ebola World Sep 25, 2014 11:45 AM EDT Watch President Barack Obama’s comments about the worldwide fight against Ebola. Despite the recent ratcheting up of efforts to contain Ebola in West Africa, “we are not moving fast enough,” said President Barack Obama on Thursday at the United Nations. “It’s a marathon, but you have to run it like a sprint.” He said international organizations, working with local partners, need to cut through red tape, and more nations need to contribute to the efforts by sending medical workers, equipment and helping with air transportation. “It’s clear that our nations have to do more to prevent, detect and respond to future biological threats — before they erupt into full-blown crises.” President Obama said he will host 44 representatives of nations in Washington on Friday for a global health security initiative because of Ebola’s “growing threat to regional and global security.” This year’s Ebola outbreak is the largest since the virus was identified in the 1970s. It has a 70 percent death rate with new cases outpacing treatment. The countries most affected are Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, the starting point of this year’s outbreak. Most Ebola deaths are in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. PBS NewsHour special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports from nearby Nigeria on how it has been able to curb the spread of the disease. The latest tallies from the World Health Organization say the total number of confirmed cases of Ebola in West Africa is 6,263 with 2,917 deaths. The bulk of new cases are not in treatment centers but in communities where infected people are traveling around trying to find the treatment sites, said Bruce Aylward, the World Health Organization’s head of emergency operations, in New York on Monday. “Ebola is an unforgiving virus. If you give it space, it’s going to take advantage of it, and the consequences are horrific,” he said. So far, the confirmed cases are in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone, according to the WHO. But there have been more than 100 rumored cases in 55 countries, forcing the countries to try to come up with a rapid response plan in case they do get a confirmed case, Aylward said. The reporting from New York was supported in part by the U.N. Foundation’s press fellowship program. Follow @NewsHourWorld We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Larisa Epatko Larisa Epatko Larisa Epatko produced multimedia web features and broadcast reports with a focus on foreign affairs for the PBS NewsHour. She has reported in places such as Jordan, Pakistan, Iraq, Haiti, Sudan, Western Sahara, Guantanamo Bay, China, Vietnam, South Korea, Turkey, Germany and Ireland. @NewsHourWorld
Watch President Barack Obama’s comments about the worldwide fight against Ebola. Despite the recent ratcheting up of efforts to contain Ebola in West Africa, “we are not moving fast enough,” said President Barack Obama on Thursday at the United Nations. “It’s a marathon, but you have to run it like a sprint.” He said international organizations, working with local partners, need to cut through red tape, and more nations need to contribute to the efforts by sending medical workers, equipment and helping with air transportation. “It’s clear that our nations have to do more to prevent, detect and respond to future biological threats — before they erupt into full-blown crises.” President Obama said he will host 44 representatives of nations in Washington on Friday for a global health security initiative because of Ebola’s “growing threat to regional and global security.” This year’s Ebola outbreak is the largest since the virus was identified in the 1970s. It has a 70 percent death rate with new cases outpacing treatment. The countries most affected are Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, the starting point of this year’s outbreak. Most Ebola deaths are in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. PBS NewsHour special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports from nearby Nigeria on how it has been able to curb the spread of the disease. The latest tallies from the World Health Organization say the total number of confirmed cases of Ebola in West Africa is 6,263 with 2,917 deaths. The bulk of new cases are not in treatment centers but in communities where infected people are traveling around trying to find the treatment sites, said Bruce Aylward, the World Health Organization’s head of emergency operations, in New York on Monday. “Ebola is an unforgiving virus. If you give it space, it’s going to take advantage of it, and the consequences are horrific,” he said. So far, the confirmed cases are in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone, according to the WHO. But there have been more than 100 rumored cases in 55 countries, forcing the countries to try to come up with a rapid response plan in case they do get a confirmed case, Aylward said. The reporting from New York was supported in part by the U.N. Foundation’s press fellowship program. Follow @NewsHourWorld We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now