Joyce Statement on CDC Announcement that Ebola Patient Visited Northeast Ohio

Today, U.S. Congressman Dave Joyce (OH-14) reiterated the immediate need for a stronger, coordinated U.S. response to the Ebola virus following the CDC's announcement that the second Texas health care worker to test positive for the virus traveled on commercial flights to visit family in Northeast Ohio earlier this week.

"This latest case hits home in Northeast Ohio and is a clear indication that our nation must act now to stop the spread of the Ebola virus," Joyce said.

"Earlier this month, I called on the administration to immediately implement travel restrictions to protect American citizens from further exposure to Ebola. The young woman who visited family in Akron before testing positive for Ebola had treated Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person to die from the virus on U.S. soil after traveling from Liberia. It is time to impose targeted travel restrictions on nations impacted by the Ebola virus until the outbreak is defeated.

"Here at home, the CDC must provide a stronger response and more leadership than we have seen. A health care worker who had been in direct contact with an infectious Ebola patient should have never been permitted to board a commercial flight. We cannot wait any longer to put strict protocols in place to contain this virus and provide more resources to combat it."

Any passengers from Frontier Airlines flight 1143 on Monday, October 13, should call 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636).

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