Public worries about Ebola increase faster than cases

Oct 23 2014

A Pew Research Center survey finds 41 percent of Americans say they worry they or someone in their families will be "exposed" to the Ebola virus, up from 32 percent two weeks ago. Public confidence in the government's ability to combat the disease has also dropped, finds a Gallup poll. Meanwhile, GOP doctors in the House of Representatives seek a temporary travel ban for West African countries affected by Ebola.

Los Angeles Times: Public Concerns About Ebola Increase Faster Than Cases
Public concerns about Ebola have grown much faster than the actual number of cases of the illness in the U.S. A Pew Research Center survey released Tuesday found that 41% of Americans said they worried that they or someone in their families would be "exposed" to the Ebola virus, up from 32% two weeks ago (Lauter, 10/21).

Politico: Poll: Drop In Faith In Government On Ebola
Americans have become less confident in recent weeks in the federal government's ability to fight Ebola in the United States, according to a new poll. According to the Gallup poll, 52 percent of Americans said that they were "very" or "somewhat confident" in the government's ability to handle the virus. That's down nine percent from Oct. 5, when 61 percent of Americans expressed confidence, and Oct. 12, when Gallup found that 60 percent of Americans were confident in government to handle the situation (Breitman, 10/22). 

Politico: GOP Doctors In House Seek Travel Ban
The Republican Doctors Caucus is calling on the White House to put in place a temporary travel ban for West African countries affected by Ebola. The letter, sent Tuesday to President Barack Obama, was signed by 16 members of the group, including co-chairs Reps. Phil Gingrey of Georgia and Phil Roe of Tennessee (Topaz, 10/22). 

USA Today: West Africa Travelers Must Go To 1 Of 5 Airports
The Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday that all travelers from Ebola outbreak countries in West Africa will be funneled through one of five U.S. airports with enhanced screening starting Wednesday. Customs and Border Protection within the department began enhanced screening -; checking the traveler's temperature and asking about possible exposure to Ebola -; at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on Oct. 11 (Jansen, 10/21).