U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, a leading proponent of imposing a travel ban to limit the spread of Ebola, now says the latest developments involving health care workers in Dallas show the need for a more coordinated and better-managed response here at home.
The U.S. needs one take-charge person in place to oversee the containment of and response to the threat of this serious infectious disease.
“If there’s a will, there’s a way,” Nelson said today in Orlando. “This person should be at least temporarily based in a White House war room with direct authority from the president – someone like former Surgeon General Richard Carmona, who has the requisite medical background and who served in that position under former president George W. Bush.”
Finding that someone should be a priority, Nelson said.
In calling for such, Nelson is joining with a few of his colleagues in the Senate including Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, who wants what he refers to as an Ebola czar.
Nelson is widely recognized as a moderate voice in a highly-partisan and bitterly-divided Congress. He was among the first to call for a travel ban on people coming into the U.S. from Ebola-affected regions. He is a senior member of the Senate Commerce Committee which oversees many aspects of international travel. And he represents the third most populous state in the country, which is a hub for international travelers entering the U.S.
