President Obama Meets with West African Leaders to Talk Ebola
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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Transmission of the Ebola virus in West Africa has slowed tremendously, but for some of the countries hit hardest by the virus, the fight continues.
President Obama, in a White House meeting Wednesday with the presidents of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, pledged that the United States will continue its support in the fight against Ebola in those nations where the virus struck the hardest.
“We have to be vigilant, and the international community has to remain fully engaged in a partnership with these three countries, until there are no cases of Ebola in these countries,” President Obama said from the White House Cabinet Room alongside West African presidents Ellen Sirleaf of Liberia, Ernest Koroma of Sierra Leon and Alpha Condé of Guinea.
The virus has killed more than 10,000 people since the epidemic broke — but this week, there were just 40 new cases, the president noted.
“Now we’re focused on a shared goal, and that is getting to zero,” he said. “We can’t be complacent.”
The meeting comes one day after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced it would begin testing an Ebola vaccine in Sierra Leone.
The African leaders will now also meet with the IMF, World Bank and other organizations on their visit.
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