The Ebola outbreak has been a growing concern first in Africa, then the US, and now the world. With the death toll in Africa now reaching 4,500 including 236 health care workers, the leaders of nations are looking for a way to control the epidemic. In recent efforts, President Barack Obama has appointed Ron Klain as the Ebola Czar. Klain’s job is to coordinate the administrations global response to the epidemic.
The news came just hours after the Texas nurse, who helped treat Thomas Duncan, was diagnosed with Ebola and moved to the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. In addition to detecting, isolating, and treating Ebola patients in the US, Klain must make an effort to treat Ebola at the source in West Africa.
Klain, who served as chief of staff to Vice President Biden and former Vice President Al Gore, helped to oversee the 2009 stimulus bill. He will now be tasked with coordinating both the domestic public health response and the international humanitarian and military efforts to stop the virus in West Africa. Republican lawmakers have been calling on the White House to appoint this “czar” for weeks to lead the administrations response. Other Obama “czars” have coordinated the auto bailout and the TARP program to boosts banks after the economic failure in 2008.
I think that Obama appointing someone to deal with the epidemic is very smart. He alone cannot do all the work as far as containing the virus. The phrase “czar” is a bit of a high ranking name for someone just assisting the Obama Administration in the Ebola outbreak. Obama is trying to be diplomatic by appointing someone else to help with these efforts. Many people have been doubting Obama for not tackling this problem earlier. Elections are coming sooner than we think, Obama wants people to see that Democrats are getting things done. Even though Obama is not up for re-election, he is trying to paint a good picture for future Democratic candidates. As the United States we cannot go and save every country, but I feel as if we could have helped more with saving lives in West Africa.