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

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.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

"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