Obama Declares End of Military Ebola Mission: ‘New Phase’ in Fight – ‘Getting to Zero’
Published at
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza(WASHINGTON) — It looked and felt like a “mission accomplished” moment – but President Obama said on Wednesday he was really just declaring a “transition” in the fight against Ebola.
In a speech at the White House, Obama announced the end of the military mission in West Africa, saying all but 100 of the 2,800 U.S. service members deployed there will be home by April 30.
“While our troops are coming home, America’s work is not done. Our mission is not complete,” Obama said. “For as long as Ebola simmers anywhere in the world, we will have some Ebola fighting heroes who are coming back home with the disease from time to time.”
He said the U.S. is more prepared than ever before because of efforts by the Centers for Disease Control to improve Ebola testing and response. He set a new goal for the global coalition of “getting to zero” cases of Ebola.
“As long as there is even one case of Ebola that’s active out there, risks still exist. Every case is an ember that, if not contained, can light a new fire,” he said.
He was joined by six of the eight American Ebola survivors.
- Dr. Kent Brantly, Fort Worth, TX
- Dr. Rick Sacra, Concord, MA
- Dr. Ian Crozier, Chandler, AZ
- Nina Pham, Dallas, TX
- Amber Vinson, Dallas, TX
Follow @ABCNewsRadio
Copyright © 2015, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.