Three days after Ebola was discovered to have been diagnosed in a Texas man, Sen. Ted Cruz on Thursday urged the Federal Aviation Administration to prevent more Ebola cases from entering the United States by "taking every available precaution," in addition to slamming the Obama administration for its "unclear" handling of the Ebola threat, Politico reported.
"Given the severity of this virus and the fact that its spread to Texas has been associated with travel, it is imperative that the FAA take every precaution in preventing additional cases from arriving in the U.S.," he wrote to FAA Administrator Michael Huerta, further questioning whether travelers from African countries "who have experienced a significant Ebola outbreak" would be banned from entering the country.
Following the quarantine of the Texas man in a Dallas hospital, the Republican senator submitted a letter to the FAA with a litany of questions expressing his concerns about the safety of Americans, TheBlaze reported.
1. What training is currently provided to airline carriers and their crew members to identify the symptoms of infectious diseases, such as Ebola, before a passenger boards a flight?
2. What specific action has the FAA taken since the first cases of the Ebola virus were reported in West Africa in March 2014?
3. Does the FAA intend to take any steps to limit or suspend air travel to countries that have experienced a significant Ebola outbreak?
4. Once a case has been confirmed will passengers receive notification that they traveled on the same flight as an Ebola patient?
5. Does your agency have any projections, studies or reports for how many additional Ebola cases may arrive in the United States due to air travel? If so, what additional steps is your agency taking to limit the spread of this infectious disease?
So far, the FAA has responded by stating that it's working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is leading the investigation of the first case of Ebola in the U.S.
In a separate statement, the GOP accused the White House of failing to deal with the risk of the significant outbreak, Newsmax reported.
"Due to the Obama administration's unclear approach to addressing the threat of the Ebola virus, Americans - particularly the Texans who have possibly been exposed - deserve specific answers to how the administration is addressing travel to and from the countries impacted by the disease," Cruz said.
Meanwhile, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) supported Cruz's claims on Thursday evening, stating that it's "appropriate to review our policies for travel to and from the countries most affected by the Ebola outbreak."
