The Ebola outbreak has caused confusion. Here are answers to common questions:
I live in a country where the Ebola outbreak is ongoing. Can I still get a visa to the U.S.?
Yes. The State Department, USAID and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have developed protocols that will allow them to continue normal business safely. Their goal is to keep operations running, visa applications moving through the required process, and borders open.
Why is the U.S. sending troops to fight Ebola?
U.S. Army General David Rodriguez recently explained that troops assigned to work in West Africa are trained to deal with biological and other major crises.
The U.S. has committed to send 3,900 troops on a humanitarian mission estimated to last six months. They will build roughly 17 Ebola treatment units, train medical staff, and provide logistical support for USAID’s work on stopping the virus.
Already, the U.S. military has flown more than 200 tons of protective equipment and medical supplies to West Africa and helped build several Ebola treatment units.
Will there be a vaccine?
The National Institutes of Health Clinical Center recently started human clinical trials of an Ebola vaccine. “The need for a vaccine to protect against Ebola infection is urgent,” said Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, one of the institutes’ directors. By the end of 2014, the institutes will have preliminary safety and immune-response data, which scientists hope will lead to large-scale production of a vaccine by early 2015.
I have an idea to combat Ebola. What can I do?
Your idea could be one that saves lives. Submit it to the Ebola Grand Challenge now.
