President Barack Obama is hosting a summit with leaders from the U.S. and Africa in Washington, D.C., this week, as the deadly Ebola virus continues to spread in West Africa.
As a precaution, the 50 African officials who are to attend the 3-day summit will be pre-screened for the virus, which has already killed at least 729 people from Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria, according to reports.
While the Ebola outbreak is not specifically listed on the week’s agenda, The Washington Post reports that the issue may be adapted into the meeting, as it has for other international meetings as of late. Other items will include talks about $1 billion towards expanding food programs, peacekeeping and other business deals — including Power Africa, Obama’s privately funded program directed at installing and connecting 20 million new customers to electricity across the continent.
Meanwhile Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has promised this Sunday on ABC’s This Week to send a team of 50 staff members to the affected regions in the next 30 days.