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Ebola response coordinator will oversee the federal response to Ebola and consolidate the U.S.’ efforts to fight the virus.
Ron Klain, a former chief of staff to Vice Presidents Al Gore and Joe Biden, will coordinate government efforts against Ebola in his role as response coordinator (also called an “
Ebola czar
”).
He will make sure that “that efforts to protect the American people by detecting, isolating and treating Ebola patients in this country are properly integrated but don’t distract from the aggressive commitment to stopping Ebola at the source in West Africa,” according to a White House e-mail.
The announcement followed the diagnosis of two Dallas nurses with Ebola. The nurses had been treating Thomas Eric Duncan, who was the first case of Ebola to be diagnosed in the U.S., at a Dallas hospital. Duncan has since died of the virus, which has claimed nearly 5,000 lives so far in the current outbreak.
Multiple agencies are currently responding to Ebola, including the Centers for Disease Control, the Department of Defense and USAID. Klain could help coordinate those agencies to form a unified front against the virus,
according
to Dr. Amesh Adalja, a representative of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
He could also reach out to states and communities to disseminate accurate information on the virus, according to Pamela Cipriano, president of the American Nurses Association.
Critics of the decision questioned why the president did not appoint someone with a public health background. But Klain has valuable experience in communications and planning that will be necessary to coordinating the response, Cipriano said. “I think someone who comes with these skills is actually more important,” she said.
The U.S. should have someone take the lead on other emerging infectious diseases that are currently receiving less attention than Ebola, Adalja said. Coordinating responses to those diseases would also be helpful to the global community, he said.
The decision preceded an announcement by a CDC announcement of new prevention
measures
for health workers treating patients with Ebola. The guidelines aim to increase education among health workers on the right protocols for treating the disease.
Warm up questions
- What do you know about Ebola?
- Have you heard the word “czar” before? What does this word mean to you?
Critical thinking questions
- Some have criticized the president for appointing someone to this position who does not have a public health background. How could this sort of background be useful in the position? Do you think Klain’s other experience will be helpful?
- According to the White House e-mail cited in the text, the response coordinator will focus on handling Ebola in the U.S. and on stopping it “at the source” in West Africa. What is the importance of continuing to focus on the virus’ effect on West Africa? How is that approach beneficial to the epidemic?
