UPDATE: WHITE HOUSE MEETING TODAY ON GLOBAL HEALTH STRATEGY

Update of this Morning's story:

Obama tells global health officials: After Ebola, ‘we have to do better.’Obama tells global health officials: After Ebola, ‘we have to do better.’

WASHINGTON POST
By Juliet Eilperin September 26 at 1:30 PM

WASHINGTON --

President Obama addressed health officials from dozens of countries who had gathered Friday at the White House to determine ways the international community can strengthen defenses against future epidemics, such as the Ebola outbreak now raging in West Africa.

Administration officials had launched a global health security initiative in February to help other nations develop basic disease detection and monitoring systems to contain the spread of deadly illnesses.

"Now, the good news is today, our nations have begun to answer the call," Obama told the group. "With all the knowledge, all the medical talent, all the advanced technologies at our disposal, it is unacceptable if, because of lack of preparedness and planning and global coordination, people are dying when they don't have to. So we have to do better -- especially when we know that outbreaks are going to keep happening."

The president also issued a challenge to all entrepreneurs and manufacturers to design better health protective gear that can be sent to contain the spread of the virus in West Africa.  "If you design them, we will make them. We will pay for them," he said. "And our goal is to get them to the field in a matter of months to help the people working in West Africa right now. I’m confident we can do this."

Before Obama addressed the gathering, top medical officials spoke in unusually frank terms about the missteps that have been made in responding to the spread of the virus in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Link to Full Article

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/09/26/obama-tells-global-health-officials-after-ebola-we-have-to-do-better/

Earlier story:

WASHINGTON POST  September 26

Hoping to make the most of the world’s attention in the wake of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, President Obama and other leaders will try again to strengthen a longer-term strategy to enhance global health security.

The White House, which launched an initiative in February aimed at preventing the global spread of infectious-disease epidemics, will host a meeting Friday of officials from 44 countries to discuss how to develop basic disease detection and monitoring systems to contain the spread of deadly illnesses.

The United States has pledged to help 30 countries bolster their capacity to deal with infectious disease and bio­terrorism threats over the course of five years; a total of 100 nations have committed to take action in connection with the administration’s initiative.

Link to full story

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/leaders-urged-to-strengthen-global-health-security-in-wake-of-ebola-epidemic/2014/09/25/c66f91ca-44bb-11e4-9a15-137aa0153527_story.html