Congressman Delaney wrote to President Obama, Speaker of the House John Boehner, and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, calling for an aggressive response to the escalating outbreak of Ebola in West Africa.
One local congressman wants a stepped-up US effort against the outbreak of Ebola in west Africa. In a letter to President Obama and the US House leadership, Representative John Delaney (D-Md.) says the reaction by the US and other countries has been “insufficient.”
Currently, the Ebola virus is contracted by exposure to bodily fluids of infected persons. But Delaney says there’s a danger it could go airborne. “Because of the growing potential for huge losses of life, our standard in responding to Ebola should be aggressive. It is critical that the United States make every effort to get ahead of this crisis, not play catch up,” Delaney says in his letter addressed not only to the President, but to House Speaker John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
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Currently, the Ebola virus is contracted when someone is exposed to the bodily fluids of an infected person. But if it mutates and becomes airborne, it could travel to other patients a little easier. “If it becomes airborne, it could go from west Africa to the United States within 24-hours,” says Delaney.
“It affects every part of the United States if it becomes airborne because it could potentially come back here, so obviously it will affect the 6th District. And the fact that we’re proximate to an international city and airports could increase the chances of that,” says Delaney.
He says the US should make use of the resources in Maryland, including Fort Detrick in Frederick, which Delaney describes as “a center of expertize in biohazards,” along with the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, where a lot of 6th District residents work. “I also believe my district and my constituents have a lot to offer against this situation,” he says.
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