President Obama addresses Ebola response: 'We can't give in to hysteria'

President Obama addresses Ebola response: &#039;We can&#039;t give in to hysteria&#039;

(Image credit: Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)

last updated 8 January 2015

President Barack Obama used his weekly video address to talk about his administration's response to the Ebola virus.

"This is a serious disease, but we can't give in to hysteria or fear — because that only makes it harder to get people the accurate information they need," he said. "We have to be guided by the science. We have to remember the basic facts."

Obama reminded Americans that the U.S. is not facing an "'outbreak' or an 'epidemic,'" like West Africa, but rather several isolated cases. He also reiterated that Ebola is not transmitted via the air, but through contact with an infected person's bodily fluids.

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"I've met and hugged some of the doctors and nurses who've treated Ebola patients," he said. "And I'm fine."

The address comes a day after Obama named Ron Klain the administration's "Ebola czar."

You can watch his full remarks in the video, below. --Sarah Eberspacher

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Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.