– ‘Losing the battle’ –
Obama’s call for calm was in stark contrast to World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim, who warned Friday that “we are losing the battle”.
He blamed a lack of international solidarity in efforts to stem the epidemic.
“Certain countries are only worried about their own borders,” he told reporters in Paris, as leaders in Washington and beyond grapple for a coordinated response to the outbreak.
Airports in several countries were taking passengers’ temperatures in a bid to detect Ebola carriers, although experts have expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the checks.
France on Saturday started carrying out health checks on Air France passengers arriving from Guinea, where the epidemic began in December, while a cabin crew union called for a halt to flights from Conakry altogether.
One 40-year-old passenger was taken to a Paris hospital with a suspected fever but officials later said she was not suffering from vomiting or diarrhoea.
Meanwhile, a woman was taken to a military hospital close to Paris on Saturday suffering from abdominal pain and fever, but there was no confirmation of her condition.
The United States, Britain and Canada have already launched screenings at airports for passengers from Ebola-hit zones. The EU is reviewing the matter.
As of October 14, 4,555 people have died from Ebola out of a total of 9,216 cases registered in seven countries, the World Health Organization said.
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