| CNN | - |
(CNN)
-- The Obama administration plans to seek more than $6 billion from
Congress to fight Ebola, an official told CNN Wednesday, hours after the
World Health Organization said an outbreak of the deadly virus had
claimed more than 4,800 lives.
Ebola outbreak: Get up to speed on the latest developments
updated 8:32 PM EST, Wed November 5, 2014
Thomas Eric Duncan was a Liberian
resident who flew to Dallas to visit family and friends in September. He
became ill after the flight and was hospitalized on September 28,
becoming the first Ebola patient diagnosed in the United States. He died
on October 8.
HIDE CAPTION
Who's who in the Ebola outbreak?
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Official: Obama seeks $4.5 billion for current response and $1.5 billion for contingency fund
- The World Health Organization says more than 4,800 Ebola deaths have been reported
- A Spanish nurse's assistant leaves the hospital after beating Ebola
- In New York, Dr. Craig Spencer "continues to show improvement," officials say
Here's a look at those developments, and other steps in worldwide efforts to combat Ebola, based on CNN"s reporting:
New funding to fight deadly virus?
U.S. President Barack
Obama's administration wants Congress to provide more than $6 billion in
"emergency funding" to fight Ebola, an Office of Management and Budget
official said.
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That includes $4.5 billion for immediate response and $1.5 billion for a contingency fund, the official said.
The goal? "To strengthen
our domestic public health systems, contain and mitigate the outbreak in
West Africa, speed efforts to obtain and test vaccines and
therapeutics, and further reduce risks to Americans by helping
vulnerable countries enhance their capacity to prevent disease
outbreaks, detect them early, and swiftly respond before they become
epidemics that threaten our national security," the official said.
"These activities are
critical to combat the spread of Ebola and reduce the potential for
future outbreaks of infectious diseases that could follow a similarly
devastating, costly, and destabilizing trajectory," the official said.
Global Ebola case numbers grow
The World Health Organization's latest report on the worldwide Ebola response says there have been 13,042 confirmed, probable and suspected cases of Ebola and 4,818 reported deaths.
The number of weekly
probable and suspected cases appears to be on the decline nationwide in
Liberia, though the death toll there increased by 248, the WHO said in
the report, released Wednesday. In Sierra Leone, the weekly incidence
continues to rise, the WHO said.
As of November 2, 546 health care workers are known to be infected with Ebola and 310 have died, according to WHO.
Spanish nurse's assistant leaves hospital
A Spanish nurse's assistant who left the hospital Wednesday after beating Ebola said she was still weak but gave thanks to God and the health workers who cared for her that she was still alive.
Looking frail but happy, Teresa Romero Ramos was greeted by cheers as she spoke to journalists, with her husband, Javier Limon.
Romero, who described
her recovery as a miracle from God, said she was ready to do whatever
she could to help others infected with Ebola.
New York doctor's condition improving
Dr. Craig Spencer,
the doctor who returned to the United States from Guinea and tested
positive for Ebola, "continues to show improvement and is stable," New
York City health officials said Wednesday.
A person who had been
under quarantine due to contact with Spencer will now be subject to
direct active monitoring, according to a joint release from the NYC
Department of Health and the NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation.
"This person's daily
movements in New York City will no longer be restricted, and the
individual will be assessed twice each day by Health Department staff,"
officials said.
Dallas nurse's contacts cleared
The contacts of nurse Amber Vinson, one of the Dallas nurses infected with Ebola, are clear of the deadly virus, health officials said.
"All 163 contacts that we were monitoring have been cleared," the Ohio Department of Health said on Twitter.
Vinson was discharged last week from Atlanta's Emory University Hospital after she was declared free of the disease.
Obama speaks with staff of U.S. military-built hospital in Monrovia
A 25-bed hospital built by the U.S. military in LIberia's capital will open its doors later this week.
On Wednesday, Obama spoke with members of the U.S. Public Health Service Commission Corps, who are staffing the hospital.
He praised the team of
71 officers selected, the White House said, and reminded them that
"through their service, we will bring this epidemic under control at the
source, the only way to prevent additional cases of Ebola
domestically."
CNN's Jim Acosta, Pierre Meilhan, Rob Frehse and Laura Smith-Spark contributed to this report.
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