Tom Frieden, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hunkered into defense mode during a televised interview on Fox News, telling host Megyn Kelly that those who are calling for his resignation are off the mark.
Just a day earlier, for example, fellow Fox News pundit and host Bill O’Reilly had demanded that Dr. Frieden resign — and Ms. Kelly raised that issue and asked the CDC head for his response, Mediaite reported.
“I’m focused on protecting Americans 24/7,” he said, dismissing the calls for him to step down.
Dr. Frieden also told the Fox viewing audience that the CDC under his leadership is doing everything it can to make sure those diagnosed with Ebola aren’t brought into contact with others. He also assured that hospitals do in fact have the resources they need to treat the disease, Mediaite said.
Ms. Kelly, however, pressed him for answers into why he won’t support a travel ban on those entering the country from West Africa.
As in previous interviews, Dr. Frieden said he doesn’t want to “isolate these countries” because it could “make it harder to stop the epidemic here,” in the United States, the blog reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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