tv News Al Jazeera October 16, 2014 2:00pm-3:01pm EDT
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screening 94% of those people? >> as of today with the expansion to the four additional locations that covers about 94%. >> so 94% are being covered that means that somewhere between two and 3,000 people a year are coming into this country without being screened from the effected areas. >> well, they would undergo a different form of screening. we are still going to identify they have been to one of the three effected regionens and we with are still going to ask them questions. we will be alert to any overt signs of illness. if they are sick, and we will also give them a fact sheet about ebola, the symptoms what to watch for, and who to contact. >> we will not be checking temperatures or having them fill out a contact sheet. >> so there's two to 3,000 people entering this country a year without checking their temperature, without having the contact sheet that 94% of those people. >> you will arrive at
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hundreds of different airplanes throughout the united states. >> i want to talk more about the travel. restrictions. dr. freeden how many nonu.s. military flights commercial flights are going into the effected countries. >> i don't have the exact numbers. >> does nebraska know how many are going into these areas. >> mr. wagner, uh you don't know. >> from the united states, into those areas. >> there are no direct flights from those three areas to the united states. >> and into the area. >> into west africa. >> there are flights into west africa. >> how many. >> that i don't have offhand. >> anybodien know how many. >> how many are coming into the united states. >> there are no commercial flights coming directly from those three areas. >> what about europe? there's hundreds of flights from europe.
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>> from west africa to europe to here. >> and 94% screening. how many flights are required daily. every other day, or weekly to get the supplies and personnel. >> the quantitysy is quite large. we would have to get back here, but there's huge quantities needed. if you can get back to me with with that number, i would appreciate it. nigeria, are you aware if nigeria has a travel ban? >> i believe that is not the case. >> they do not. >> one of the issues that has been brought up regularly to me back in the district, when i go home, what should i tell my local hospital that they need to do to address ebola? >> the single most important thing they need to do is make sure that if anyone comes in with fever, or other symptoms
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of infection, they need to ask where they have been for the past 21 with days and whether they have been in west africa. the training that a small local hospital would receive, is that the same that a major metropolitan hospital would receive? >> there are a variety forms of training. we support hospitals. they are regulated by states not by c.d.c. >> what do we need to do? we are entering the flu season now, what do we need to do to make sure that people understand that there can be similar conditions similar circumstances so that we don't have a situation where people are indeed panics. >> key issue, it is as you point out, getting into flu season. by all means get a flu shot. and for healthcare workers any time someone comes in with fever, or other signs of infection, take a travel history. that's really important. >> i want to go back to what i sate at the
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beginning. you mentioned we can't have a travel ban because you are afraid of the impact it would have, but you don't know how much personnel equipment and flights are currently in use. >> my point earlier on, was that if passengers are not allowed to come directly, there is a high likelihood they will find another way to get here. and we won't be able to track them as we currently can. >> how many flights how many personnel, how much equipment. >> the point i made earlier, if we we are not able to track people directly, we will lose that ability to monitor them for fever to collect their locating information to that and isolate them if they are ill. >> time is expired thank you. >> thank you, i want to follow up on the questions.
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first of all, i want to understand this, there has been one person that came to the u.s., and than he infected two health care workers in dallas, correct. >> at this point, none of the 48 contactens he had before getting isolated have developed symptoms and they are mostly well past the maximum period,en although not completely out of the woods. >> so everybody on the panel it is code red. it is a disease that has a -- it's a very severe disease, it is not nearly as contagious. but any infection in a healthcare worker is unacceptable. >> that's right. and there's an enormous amount of concern abouten this, so we appreciate the put on efforts that you are making. there's been some lessons learned to what happened in dallas, the hospital has been forthcoming about mistakes made, now
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what you are it thing sus there has been information provided to all our hospitals in the country, about what protocols to follow, correct. >> correct. >> now, just on a practical level, does it really make -- is it feasible that all our hospitals are going to be in a position to provide state of the art treatment? does it really make sense for hospitals to contact you when they have rah potential infection for you to come and then fortous have centers to which that individual who is infectenned can be treated. >> every hospital needs to be able to think it may be ebola. >> right. >> diagnosis it, to call it as they do, ewe with have had hundreds of calls and we will send a team to determine what is best for that hospital. >> and then, what we have also heard, asked this question, this is absolutely a public health infrastructure issue, where it gets out of hand, correct. >> public health measures can control ebola. >> and they have had effective measures in
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nigeria, where they have been able to contain it but they have no public health infrastructure in these three countries where it is now getting some held way, correct? exactly. >> in the u.s., of course, we are fortunate to have a pretty good infrastructure, but we with do have to have an answer, i think to this question that is being asked about travel. i want to understand what the debate is within the medical community. a lot of us we are hearing from our constituents that is something we can do, and can eliminate possibility of an inkfection coming here, but that may be a psychological answer, but not necessarily an effective medical answer. we have all been asking you to give your explanation. as to why from a medical standpoint, you have concluded that rah total
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travel ban is inappropriate, and not effective. first off, many of the people coming to the u.s. from west africa are american citizens. american passport holders. so that's one issue just to be aware of. >> by the way, i don't have much time, our healthcare workers if we are going to encouraging people go and do the important work, including our military, we have to take them back and make sure we can treat them in fact they do get the illness, correct. >> payment travel. >> as you say there's basically a trade off. and then you will lose the benefit of being able to track folkens that may be infectenned and that can lead to a greater incidents so it is a trade off, is that what is going on. >> that may make sense,
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you in coordination with your colleagues? we would look at any proposed that would improve the satiety of americans. this isn't about funding because i think we would know what your answers would be, i want to share my concern, mr. chairman, we may want to have a hearing at some point about what is the funding requirements to make certain the infrastructure this country needs to been in place, before something happened is robust, and strong, we have people that are trained and ready to do the job, and they have everything they need, so that's not today's hearing but i think it is a question we should address. i find that to been a reckless decision, i think that is the wrong decision, i think this
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congress has to revisit our priorities on making certain we have the public health infrastructure to protect the american people. >> as well as hhs. >> i now recognize mr. griffith for five minutes. >>ing thank you, mr. chairman. i belief we should have reasonable travel restrictions. in answering a question of my colleague from colorado, mr. gardner, uh you you indicated that nigeria didn't have any restrictions. i have in my possession, a letter from virginia. to governor terry mccull love. in that he sites the international sos, a prominent medical security service company with more than 700 services.
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water land by persons from countries where ebola is presence. south sudan, gambia, court ivory, rwanda, clad, and kenya. 14 countries only allowed highly restricted entry i find that interesting because some of those have had previous outbreaks of ebola themselves wouldn't you agree that some of those have had to face ebola before? >> i would have to check the list carefully to know, but i will take your word for it. >> all right. i will tell you this is a concern can to a lot of our constituents and to mine as well, i was checking by facebook page,ing when i saw that a father from virginia asked for prayers for his daughter ever because she lives in the apartment complex with the first nurse, nurse number one, as i think someone referred to her, and was very concerned and while
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i think i know the answer, i would like to get your answer, so i can reassure this father, and that is his question is if i count to 21 days and my caughtser not infectenned,en at that point can i exhale and breathe a sigh of relief? >> not only can he do that, but he can do that now. because the first nurse only exposed one person, one with contact, and that was only in the very early stages of her illness. so one person from the community was exposed. >> he also asked a second question, he says there's some suggestion coming out of dallas that the dogging may be infected and may have infected other doggings. can the virus be transmitted by doggings andly tell you, i did some home work on this, because i thought it was an interesting question, and found a c.d.c. publication from march of 2005, that did a study on doggings in africa, and
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the infected areas as a control group, and they found while dogs show antibodies for ebola, they are asymptomatic, but the study went further to say there's really a lot of questions about how ebola is transmitted and in some instances 96 in 2004, republican of congo, like wide, 2004 in the sudan. that there is a question mark as to how that occurred. it was minute the normal ways it wasn't human to human, and this report indicates that dogs might be i don't want to scare folks may be suspect. i guess my question to you is, isn't it true, that we really don't know a whole lot about the outbreaks. just like we didn't think it would with come to this country, and we thought it wouldn't have any probables controlling it, now we with have all
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kinds of people being monitored isn't it true there is still a lot of questions about how ebola is spread? we have a lot of information, we have looked at the issue of exposure to animals. we know consumption of forsch rest living animals. we with don't have any done u.s.ed transmission from doggings to authorities. that's why authorities have quarantined the dog. >> and it's also true that while we with have no evidence of transmission from human to doggings we really don't know if there can be. you have a lack of evidence, we don't have clear evidence that you can't transmit it either, what is interesting that raised the question for me about okay, we have no restrictions on travel of human beings how about the dogs, i called
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customs they said well our experts are there, and then after pushing them a little bit, they said that's u.s.d.a., and they said that would be c.d.c. so i understand your reasons why i don't agree with them completely, but don't you think we out to at least restrict travel to doggings. >> we will follow up in terms of what is possible. i would like to submit for the record mark rothstein who is the director of the institute of bio ethics. >> i'd like to submit that for the record. >> thank you. i'd like to thank the panel for their testimony, and answering the questions and this has been a very enlightened hearing. i also want to acknowledge at the beginning that the okay
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international guard is providing the infrastructure for the one hundred first, at the risk of displaying my ignorance, we airport payly know you cannot detect ebola until the same time it becomes symptomatic. is there any other kind of test that would inkade whether anything is going on in the body? i know that sometimes my doctor will say you have elevated blood cell count, something is going on there. is that true of the ebola? or would that not indicate that something is going on. >> at this point we don't have a test that would identify it the test is for the virus itself. that's another reason that we are confident that it doesn't spread. is there any research being done as to a possible test earlier
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test for this? >> there's a lot of research being done to try to understand and diagnose and treat and prevent better. >> good. i am a media person by wac ground, so i am very sensitive to how the media treats situations like this. and concernly the media can be a very important part of providing public information about a potential threat to public safety as this is. and i am curious, because we see every day, abouten the spread of ebola, and outbreaks and while yes it has spread from one with person to two healthcare workers i know the public may hear that differently, and perceive there to be a much broader and widespread incident of ebola in the country.
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that woman with in the airport that looks like she is mummified because of her concern. and i know that now, one survey shows 98% of the american people situation, and not earn 50% know there's an election coming up in three weeks. so the media has certainly let the public know there's something going on. has the media coverage so far, been helpful or harmful in your efforts to have the public have an appropriate concern and awareness of what the situation is. >> well, any time healthcare workers become ill, it is unacceptable, and our thoughts are with the two infected workers and hoping for their recovery. so it is certainly understandable that there's intense media interest.
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it is important to have that attention so that we as a society pay attention. and doctors and hospitals and community health clinics and primary care practices think of the possibilitien of ebola. some of the coverage i think many would agree, may exaggerate the potential risks or may confuse people about the risks. there is a lot we know about ebola. cdc has an entire branch, entire group of professionals who spend their careers working on ebola, and other similar infections. they go out and stop outbreaks all the time. we with have stopped every outbreak until the current one in west africa there. there's zero doubt in my mind, that barring amyation, which we don't think is likely, they will not be a large
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outbreak in the u.s. so i think we welcome the attention, it would be important at times to put it in perspective. i appreciate that, and agree totally. one final question, are you sr. is there any additional authority that cdc would need -- would find more helpful in conducting or meeting your responsibilitiens? i know ohs of it is guidance and information, -- that would make your job -- would make it easier for you to do your job. >> we are looking at a variety of things. to see in conjunction, where there are some changes that might allow us to respond nor quickly. >> thank you. i yield back. >> you are listennenning to al jazeera america continuing coverage of the congressional hearingsen canning the ebola crisis, these hearings taking place in washington, d.c. right now.
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we are joined in our studios. she is the doctor and assistant professor you have been listening the hearing now two hours and 20 minutes long. do you feel better about the government response to the ebola crisis or worse. >> actually after hearing that i feel a lot worse. i haveless confidence in the cdc, i see him floundering. there are many unanswered questions we know that when thomas presented he was sent home. we know when he was resubmitted the team was inadequate, because they nursesprevent the nurses from being becoming infected. suits were with not donned properly, those two -- so clearly inadequate surveillance was being done, and then one of them was allowed to travel on a commercial flight after contacting the cdc saying i don't
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feel well. >> exactly. and many of those steps has blamed the nurses and the patient rather than taking the responsibility and stepping up to say this is what we are going to do. so i don't have any confidence. >> the other thing that has emerged from this so far, is we don't yet know how these two got sick. >> absolutely. sew i don't have any confidence, i don't expect the nurses have any confidence and we need our nurses to have a very high level of confidence in our cdc. what we with see is floundering. >> as always, thank you for being with with us, we will take a brief break, you are watching al jazeera, america.
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occupying one of those beds. and we have also learned while we with have been on the air, a yale university is now being tested for the ebola virus. that student spending a month in liberia, and was admitted to yale new hatch hospital with a fever last night, they expect the test results within the next 24 hours we will take you back to washington, these are the hearing into the ebola crisis. day 17 or 18 they start getting ill, and seeing a snake in their temperature. if they walk into any emergency room, and start throwing up, having symptoms, does your plan identify that? and does your plan tell that hospital emergency room what to do?
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>> we with have details checklists that we have distributed widely. providing repeated training and information so that healthcare providers throughout the country have a detailed checklist of what to do step by step by step. if they do to call for help and we will be there. >> i have a number of questionsly try to move through them quickly. as was mentioned in opening statements. it strikes me that controlling the outbreak, is really one of the real key issues to keeping americans safe. the reports indicate we may still be losing ground in liberia. what would enhance the ability to gain control
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in west africa, in terms of actions and resources. >> the fighting in west africa is challenging, the health systems are weak. what we are finding is that it is moving quickly. and there's a realty risk it will spread to other parts of africa, there are the key ingredient to progress there is speed. because the outbreak is increasing so quickly, the quicker we surge in a response the quicker we blunt the number of cases and the risks to over parts of the world, including the u.s. >> are you resource constrained. >> congress has provided money or approval or agreement to use money for the department of defense. u.s.i.d. has resources, we received $30 million for the first 11 weeks of this fiscal year which we appreciate. >> let me ask you, you have a number of -- an
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unprecedented number of people in the field right now. how many people do you have deployed doing airport screenings. >> i would have to get back to you with the exact number. we are working to oversee the screenings make sure they are done correctly, and to screen individuals here, collect information on them, and transfer that -- >> and also find out if those resources are best used there or elsewhere with your limited number of people that would be interesting to hear. following up on the questioning is there a development of a more rapid test to determine if someone has ebola. >> a more rapid test would be helpful. the navy has a pilot test in development, we are currently testing that. it is simpler, even if it isn't quite as sensitive. was we are working with a number of manufacturers also on a more rapid test than there is currently.
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>> when it comes to hospital standards i think very widely from hospital to hospital in this country. what actions can strengthen these? how can rereduce this among hospitals in our country? >> infection control is a challenge, and something that they work hard with hospitals and state health departments and state governments to improve. hospitals are regulated by the states within which they operate. and the issue of what could be done to improve infection control is complex. there is a large program, hospital infection prevention, and there we support regional efforts to share lessons and figure out new ways to do things better. and that kind of center of excellence model is important. >> but you are suggesting
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while you can provide the information, and the expertise and the guidance, the actual implementation is still a state function more than a federal function do you think we should be looking at that? is. >> in the u.s., we have a federalist system, the cdc provides information and input. there are roughly 5,000 hospitals in the country that are not a regulatory agency. >> right. >> one other line of questions. there's no good news about ebola, but at least it is notar an air born transmitted. oquestion don't want with to underestimate the ability to be transmitted, there are other air born trance missable pathogens that out to be of great concern, that exist around the globe today.
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how do we learn from this to make sure we are ready for other pan emcannics? there may be a higher rate of transmission. >> i think there are two major lessons. first to prevent it at the source. second within our country, to continue to support hospital preparedness, community preparedness, and the public health measures to find stop and prevent health threats. >> thank you. mr. long, recognize for five minutes. >> thank you, mr. chairman. and today we have referred to people on the panel, people up here, have referred to nurse
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one and nurse two, and these are two young women that have dedicated their lives to helping other people. sick people. and refer to them as nurse one and nurse two doesn't sit well with me. dr. reminiscence of dr. suess thing 1, and thing 2, for the record i would like to state the first nurse to etract ebola, and the second was amber joy vincent, i know one in particular has a fiance, so i think it would with serve us well to remember that these are human beings that have dedicated their lives to helping other people. and for them and nurses i would like to open with that. you said in your testimony, that only by direct contact, can you contract ebola. is that -- do you stand by that? >> direct contact with
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someone who is ill or died from ebola or their body fluids. >> and it is not air born and you agree it is not air born? ebola spreads person to person not by the air born rout. so it is not like -- >> a personal contact? why is there an airliner in denver that frontier has scrubbed four times are they wasting money. if you have to have bodily contact, why scrub that airline? i understand that people are very concerned about ebola, i can't comment exactly -- >> just public perception? they really don't need tock doing that. >> we with have detailed divines. do you need a fever to be con agous. >> you need to be sick. generally the first -- >> do you need a fever to
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be contagious. >> late in the disease, when people are deathly ill, they may not have fever, but they would likely be able to walk. >> this 21 day period, from exposure, during that -- could you be contagious the third day of that point? only if you were sick, and had symptoms. >> okay. and the incubation period is -- anywhere from zero to 21 days. >> two to 21 days generally within the first ten days or so. >> you said today, 100 to 150 people a day, you are opposed to travel restrictions, which the constituents are in favor of travel restrictions. epredict you will put on travel restrictions. i don't know if it will be today or tomorrow, and i think sooner rather than later.
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don't you think that number may be reduced to five or ten a day if we did put on travel restrictions in. >> i can't comment on what numbers. >> don't you think that number would dramatically drop. >> i know that people do come back, and right now we are able do screen them, collect their information. >> what if they don't come back? a lot of people come in this country and we lose track of them, what happens then. >> my point is if you have 150 a day coming in, or five, i and my constituents without with rather have five a day coming in, and this thing of checking for i would like to commend the folks reading this copy, bloomberg business week, ebola is coming.
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coming to america. the u.s. had a chance to stop the virus in it's tracks but it missed. that issue came out for -- and he was -- diagnosed with ebola. there's some good reading in there. that i would recommend. i also recommend if you want to google a hospital from hell, it's swamp by ebola. the new york times. just a few days ago. in you get a chance to read that, i think everyone would be in favor of the travel restrictions. and today, osha occupational safety and health administration, just today said that cues can toms and border patrol immigration enforcement agents are at risk. mr. wagner, are we prepared for that? are they protected to the fullest etent of what they need. >> we issued personal
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protective gear, and we train them on how to wear it and what circumstances. but they encounter all different kinds of travel hers with a whole host of diseases. so we are aware and we do train to recognize signs of overillness, and we have the protocols to get them into that care and protect our employees. young lady from north carolina. >> thank you, so much. mr. chairman, and i have a number of questions. i would like to start with dr. varga. in regard to the two nurses that were exposed. my understanding is one of the nurses first nurse, ms. fan,en was exposed in the emergency room and that correct. >> the first nurse was
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exposed in the emergency room, shark. >> no, that would not be correct. nina was one of our icu nurses. when mr. duncan was transferred from the emergency department. >> so that was sometime from september 28th to the 30th is that correct? okay, is then the second nurse, ms. vincent, was she also an icu nurse. >> that's correct. >> so they were exposed after the point before recognizing that ebola was being questioned is that correct? >> no, that's not correct. the nurses from the time they first had contact with mr. duncan were in personal protective
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equipment, ard cooing to the cdc guidance. nina, cared for mr. duncan -- >> i am going to stop you right there, so they were already using universal precautions but also were using some of the more isolation and just answer yes or no. >> yes. >> okay. to that, this, of course, on october second, excuse me, october 6th, i sent rah letter the cdc, call ever for travel restrictions so there is no question, i believe travel restrictions need to be put in place. are there multiple strains of ebola?
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>> there are five different sub species. and have been closely relates. >> so we know that it is isolated to one strain. there will not be a large outbreak here barring a mutation. >> when the nurses were using the gear, how is this that this has happened? we are looking for other mutations or changes. what we with have seen is very little change in the virus. we don't think it is spreading by any different way. >> and you have already said, a couple of times that you don't believe this is air born, and yet there again, i know how nurses are, i was one for 21 years before coming to
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congress, you are protecting yourself, your patient, your family, they followed precautions i am sure, and now we are having this conversation and i am very concerned about that. we are confident this is not air born, they were working very hard, they were working with a patient who is very ill, who was with having a lot of vomited and diarrhea, a lot of infectious material, and the investigation is on going, but we with immediately implement add series of measures in the discussion of fast tracking a test, for ebola. is there fast track right now that you know of. >> and we reached out to
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a hand full who may be interested in working with us. >> okay, so you will in the process of working toward as fast track process? >> yes. we would expedite every such test. >> thank you. i am speaking on behalf of my constituents. i just don't believe that it is acceptable that the quote you have given us we won't be able to track them as the reasoning for why we should not implement travel restrictions. i do believe we with can, do you believe that there's a way that we with can implement trackenning. >> tracks? >> tracking of individuals if we do not. >> we have ways to determine a persons itinerary through the questioning or review. it is easier when they are coming on a direct ticket. >> true, true.
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thank you for indulging my overtime here. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i appreciate you holding this hearing and i want to thank the pannests for coming and participating. healthcare professionals as well. i want to join with the chairman in urging the president to immediately institute a travel ban until such time they can firmly prove that americans are safe from having more ebola patients coming into the united states i know dr. freeden you expressed disagreement with with that, have you had conversation within the white house about a travel ban, and whether or not the president has the authority? many of us have said that the president does have the authority to do it today. >> from the point of view
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of the cdc, we are willing to consider anything? >> have you ruled it out. >> that's a yes or no question. >> we have discussed -- how abouten a travel ban. >> we with have had discussions on the issue of travel to and from west africa. >> have you ruled it out. >> from the c.d.c. perspective -- >> are you going to answer your question about the conversations with the white house. >> we -- >> is the white house considering a travel ban. >> i can't speak for the white house. >> i can't speak for the white house. >> have you had
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conversations with them about it. >> we have discussed the issue of travel. >> i would urge you, at a minimum, if you have ruled out a travel ban, if you don't think it is the right way to go, at a minimum, you out to look at at least immediately suspending visas to nonu.s. nationals so you can travel into the united states, from sierra leyon, and guinea. have you considered that or discussed it? our josh is to quarantine individualed. >> but earlier you said you don't think there should be a travel ban, what about suspending visas to nonu.s. citizens? you can make a recommendation to the white house, that it would be in the best interest of the american people to have that kind of suspending intention issue. can't you? are you not aware of
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that. >> we would with certainly consider ever anything that would reduce risks. >> do you have a high level of considers that troops are over there. are already in those countries over 3,000 will be sent over, do you have a high level of confidence that those troops are protected so they won't contract ebola. >> that they are protected. >> i would not say that there is zero risk. they are following the protocols -- >> let me ask you about the protocols i have read reports that some people with with some of the other organizations that have been over there for a while, you have the group samaritans first,
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gentlemen by the name of sean coffman who is involved with with some of the doctors that have been over there. >> i saw that quotation -- >> have you identified who blew him off in your agency. >> i don't know that that occurred. >> i would hope you wound find it, one of the biggest concerns i get, i have talked to a number of medical officials professionals in my district, their concern that they haven't had consistent protocols there's been at least four where the protocols keep changing, now, with with the nurse, the first
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nurse that was infected i believe you said that the protocols were breeched originally, have you backed away from that. >> you said they were breeched were the plotle cos breeched with the first nurse. >> yes or no. >> our review of the records suggests that in the first few days. >> if you don't know for a fact you shouldn't have said it, do you where draw that statement? that they were breeched by the first nurse. >> there was a definite exposure -- >> were they breeched. >> time has expired. >> these are the facts that have emerged so far. we also heard earlier in the hearing an apology from officials in dallas in connection with the
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way the case was handled. also that second nurse is on the way to institute of health, she is going to be occupied one of two beds there, and we did learn as well, that between 10150 people a day are traveling to the u.s. from so called hot zones. those are the facts these are the questions we don't know how they contractenned ebola. and we don't know who at the cdc if then allowed ms. vincent to board that plane we with have reporters standing by listening to this coverage as well. there was one with question that was answered and that is the fact that one of the lawmakers asked him, did you -- were your part of
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the discussion at all to say yes, to the second nurse to board the plane, and come from cleveland to dallas. he said no,en i was not part of that discussion. >> that is all i heard. the rest of it is this, these two things over and over. our fundamental issue is to protect americans will consider any options to better protect americans. i feel like there's not a whole lot that came out of this, except for the fact there are many questions than we have answered. mike, also covering the story, robert ray, thank you very much. does that now seem to be that may emerge out of washington? >> yeah, and you know it wasn't limited to just republicans there were with several democrat whose were urging the administration, to take a
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closer look at a travel ban if not just incremental restrictions coming from west africa. and we heard time and time again, dell, dr. freeden and others say that that would be counter productive, but a line they have settled on today, i ducked inside, during this hearing here at the white house, they are all singing from sort of the same himmal. by instituting a ban, they would have a more difficult time tracking individuals, because as he put it, borders are porous. they can move within west africa, the point of origin would be harder to determine, and snuck into the country or at least came from this country from a country other than west africa, from a region other than west africa. so that is what is going on. that seems to been the political play here that many of these members are trying to make.
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>> mike, going into this hearing the question that many believed would be asked and asked early, was whether or not dr. freeden would step down. three hours now zoo this testimony that question has not emerged. >> i think that -- well we with have seen during the course of this testimony, other members of congress put out press releases believing he should step down. there are parallels with the secret service case. has been asked time and time again, the threshold question i should say a situation like this, does the president have full confidence. in this particular incident yesterday.
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there is no move to push him out, this testimony today although it did not as robert just indicated supply a lot of answers part of the function here is to let air out of the balloon, and just keep in mind, the basic fact, these are the representatives in the american public, they are asking questions on their behalf, although some of them are freighted with a political agenda. that's why they are compelled to testify today. >> i am with dr. sparrow here in the studios and one thing that she has talked about, during the questioning and conversations we have had, is that this appears to be an embarrassing moment for the cdc, is there that sense in washington? oh, absolutely. you have even heard dr. freeden himself they have to take a closer look at the protocols after the second nurse was reported to have contracted ebola, and
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another interesting moment in this hearing came at the outset. when dr. daniel varga from the texas health resources commission, an apology from him, because nurses that were under his purview there contracted ebola, and as you pointed out, they still haven't pin poeted how that happened and until they do that, there are going to be these questions rather pointed questions about how this was handled and what exactly these assurances we have heard time and time again. exactly how much value to place in them. >> here in the studios she is a doctor and assistant professor. we were two hours into the hearing before we heard mention of the salts that are on their way to liberia, are you concerned about their safety?
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i am very concerned. and we with heard that they cannot guarantee that the military will be protected. and they need to be protected. >> obama is doing the right thin in sending the military to address this we with do need to have excellent procedures here. >> and address it there. >> i want to get to other atomics. there is an assumption sometimes that what goes wrong in the united states only happens here. is the rest of the world treating this epidemic because it is a worldwide epidemic, are they treating it better. we haven't seen the same inadequacies. i think a lot of europe
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was more aware of the virus earlier, i am surprised that there was nobody from mss invited to be at the hearing. >> doctors without borders has been on the ground in liberia since the beginning. so i think there are a number of questions that remain unanswered. and it's very clear, that while there's been a lot of talk about travel bans we need to actually address the health zone and go to where the money is. it would get a lot worse, in countries that have never been before, with seeing the spread where it had to one african continent, escape we have
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seen this get out of control quite quickly, so clearly the government showing it is not on to this situation, is beneathser the cdc, so this is a threat to global health and to international -- >> in the meantime, an issue near and dear to your heart, children that are being left or fanned because they have the stigma of ebola. >> this is where it feels very familiar. and there are many ebola or fans there all right. the stigma that ebola victims are surrounded with makes it very very difficult. and it is hard breaking to see babies only a few days old, five-year-olds six-year-olds who left abandoned. shunned.
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we with continue to cover this crisis as it unfolds there is more news coming straight ahead, and we invite you to tune in or minute of the story at 4:00, with with tony harris. >> in our state, government is broken >> a republican governor has made drastic changes >> the highlight of this is... eventually doing away with income taxes... >> the democratic challenger says, these policies aren't working >> we are trailing the states in our region >> can governor brownback win again? >> i think you spend your money better than the government spends it.. >> america votes 2014 battle for kansas only on al jazeera america
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