Heinrich On U.S. Effort To Address Ebola Epidemic In West Africa

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement today after President Barack Obama outlined the United States' role in addressing the Ebola epidemic in West Africa:

"The Ebola epidemic in West Africa is a threat to both global health and national security. More than 2,400 men, women, and children have died because of this virus, and countless more lives are at risk as a result of collapsing public health systems and inadequate, overwhelmed hospitals in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and other neighboring countries. 

"The President's plan to have the U.S. lead a coordinated global effort to contain Ebola at its source in West Africa is the right approach to address this emergency. Our service members will play a tremendous role in assisting with command and control, training, engineering support, and the humanitarian effort.

"If we don't increase our efforts to address this crisis, this epidemic will get worse and more lives will be lost. Through collaboration, I am confident we can meet this challenge and contain this disease."