,,iii #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #eda ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,september #aj1 #bjad,mr4 ,coons 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,flake1 ,mr4 ,menendez1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,mr4 ,corker1 ,mr4 ,markey1 ,mr4 ,heinrich1 ,mrs4 ,boxer1 ,mr4 ,reed1 ,mr4 ,booker1 ,mr4 ,leahy1 ,mrs4 ,shaheen1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 ,mr4 ,casey1 ,mr4 ,cardin1 ,mr4 ,carper1 ,ms4 ,cantwell1 ,ms4 ,klobuchar1 ,ms4 ,landrieu1 ,mr4 ,rubio1 and ,mr4 ,whitehouse7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,september #ah1 #bjad,reported by ,mr4 ,menendez1 with an amendment to the preamble,strike the preamble and insert the part printed in italic ,september #ah1 #bjad;,considered and agreed to with an amended preamble ,,resolution ,recognizing the severe threat that the ,ebola outbreak in ,west ,africa poses to populations1 governments1 and economies across ,africa and1 if not properly contained1 to regions across the globe1 and expressing support for those affected by this epidemic4 ,whereas ,ebola hemorrhagic fever is an extremely infectious virus that causes severe illness with a fatality rate that can well exceed #ej percent2 ,whereas ,ebola is spread through contact with blood1 secretions1 or other bodily fluids of infected humans and animals and can have an incubation period of up to #ba days2 ,whereas the ,ebola virus first appeared in the ,democratic ,republic of the ,congo in #aigf and has afflicted communities in ,africa at least #bj times since then2 ,whereas the current ,ebola outbreak first occurred in ,february #bjad in forested areas of southeastern ,guinea and subsequently spread to ,liberia1 ,sierra ,leone1 ,nigeria1 and ,senegal1 and the ,democratic ,republic of the ,congo recently discovered the outbreak of a separate strain of the virus2 ,whereas this is the first outbreak of ,ebola in ,west ,africa and the biggest and most complex to date1 due to its emergence in populated1 transient border areas1 making containment a significant challenge2 ,whereas1 to date1 according to the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 ,ebola had infected more than #d1djj people in ,west ,africa and caused nearly #b1cjj confirmed deaths2 ,whereas the current ,ebola outbreak has occurred in countries with some of the weakest health systems in the world facing severe shortages of healthcare workers1 laboratories essential for testing and diagnosis1 clinics and hospitals required for treatment1 and medical supplies and protective gear1 such as latex gloves and face masks required to prevent contamination of health facilities2 ,whereas these weak and inadequate healthcare facilities1 a lack of health staff trained in ,ebola response1 and misconceptions about the virus have resulted in numerous infections of health workers and patients unable to receive appropriate response and care2 ,whereas effective countermeasures for stemming the spread of ,ebola1 such as isolation1 meticulous infection control practices1 case investigation1 and contact tracing require more trained personnel and resources than are currently available in ,west ,africa2 ,whereas1 although ,ebola can be contained with good public health and burial practices1 it continues to spread due to a lack of accurate public information1 insufficient treatment facilities1 limited local language capacities required for health education1 and an unwillingness to allow those infected to be isolated from family members2 ,whereas governments are collaborating closely with international donors and taking strong measures to contain the virus1 including announcing states of emergency and establishing emergency response centers2 ,whereas the limitations on transportation and travel and closing of businesses have had a devastating economic impact throughout the region and may cause social instability and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis if not properly managed and offset2 ,whereas the international community has committed to support solutions to the current limitations on air traffic and establish a common operational platform to address acute problems associated with food security1 protection1 water1 sanitation and hygiene1 primary and secondary health care1 and education1 as well as the longer-term recovery effort that will be needed in the face of the complex social consequences of this emergency2 ,whereas the ,governments of the ,democratic ,republic of the ,congo and ,uganda have sent experts familiar with such outbreaks to ,liberia to assist with the outbreak response1 and the ,governments of ,senegal and ,ghana have agreed to serve as logistics and coordination centers for the international assistance effort1 providing vital corridors for supplies and personnel2 ,whereas1 after visiting affected communities in ,west ,africa1 ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention ,director ,tom ,frieden said on ,september #b1 #bjad1 ,there is a window of opportunity to tamp this down1 but that window is closing 4 4 4 we need action now to scale up the response42 ,whereas the ,united ,states ,government has provided more than #age1jjj1jjj in support through the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development1 the ,world ,health ,organization1 and the ,united ,states ,armed ,forces since ,february #bjad and intends to mobilize additional resources and support as announced by ,president ,obama on ,september #af1 #bjad2 ,whereas the ,united ,states ,government helped to fund the development of the ,zmapp biopharmaceutical experimental drug that was given to ,united ,states health workers afflicted with the virus and was recently donated to ,liberian doctors with encouraging effect and has prompted calls for further research and development of such vaccines2 ,whereas1 on ,august #e1 #bjad1 the ,united ,states ,government deployed a multi-agency ,disaster ,assistance ,response ,team composed of staff from ,federal agencies1 including the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development1 the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 the ,department of ,defense1 the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services1 and the ,forest ,service to coordinate the ,united ,states ,government's response efforts2 ,whereas the ,world ,health ,organization published on ,august #bh1 #bjad1 a roadmap for scaled-up response that aims to stop the virus in #f to #i months and calls for #gej international and #ab1jjj local health workers to contribute to the halt of the ,ebola outbreak2 and ,whereas1 earlier this year1 the ,united ,states ,government joined with partner governments1 the ,world ,health ,organization1 other multilateral organizations1 and nongovernmental actors to launch the ,global ,health ,security ,agenda1 a #e-year commitment to prevent1 detect1 and effectively respond to infectious disease threats such as ,ebola3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 recognizes the severe immediate threat that ,ebola poses to populations1 governments1 and economies in ,africa2 7#b7 recognizes that the limited capacity of the initial outbreak countries of ,guinea1 ,sierra ,leone1 and ,liberia to combat the epidemic has been exhausted and the potential threat to regions beyond ,africa if this1 the largest of all ,ebola outbreaks1 is not contained2 7#c7 expresses support for those affected by this epidemic and affirms its sympathy for victims of ,ebola and their families2 7#d7 supports the ,governments of ,guinea1 ,liberia1 ,sierra ,leone1 ,nigeria1 ,senegal1 and the ,democratic ,republic of the ,congo for their ongoing efforts to combat the ,ebola virus in their countries and regionally2 7#e7 urges citizens of affected countries to respect preventative guidelines provided by their governments and medical professionals from ,africa and around the world in order to stem the outbreak2 7#f7 supports the work of the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development1 the ,department of ,defense1 the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services1 the ,department of ,state1 the ,forest ,service1 and other ,united ,states ,government agencies providing technical1 logistical1 and material support to address the ,ebola crisis in ,west ,africa2 7#g7 encourages deepened ,united ,states and international commitments to the global ,ebola response2 7#h7 welcomes the delivery of assistance and increased engagement from donors such as the ,economic ,community of ,west ,african ,states 7,,ecowas7 and the ,african ,union1 the ,world ,bank1 the ,european ,union1 and the ,government of ,canada2 7#i7 expresses support for the promotion of investments in global health in order to ensure that governments can better prevent and detect1 contain1 and eventually eliminate outbreaks of disease while also providing other essential health services2 7#aj7 supports the ,world ,health ,organization's ,ebola ,response ,roadmap and a common operational platform in response to the crisis2 7#aa7 encourages the ,governments of ,guinea1 ,liberia1 ,nigeria1 ,senegal1 and ,sierra ,leone to work together and with other nations and regional and subregional organizations to establish institutional emergency response systems to more effectively respond to this and future outbreaks of ,ebola and other highly infectious diseases2 7#ab7 welcomes proactive measures taken by governments in ,west ,africa to formulate national plans of action in response to the crisis2 and 7#ac7 recognizes the work of thousands of ,african1 ,united ,states1 and international officials and volunteers on the ground in ,west ,africa1 particularly healthcare workers1 who are working diligently and at great risk to help address this multidimensional crisis1 and encourages other healthcare workers and logisticians to volunteer4