Congress calls U.S. officials to Washington for Ebola update

House lawmakers have asked U.S. officials on the front lines of the battle against Ebola to testify before Congress Thursday, as a second diagnosis in Dallas rattles health care workers and the American public.

The Energy and Commerce Committee called Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, to outline efforts to contain the deadly virus that has killed thousands in West Africa.

Both men have been on cable news networks virtually nonstop since Ebola reached the U.S. through Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian national who fell ill in Dallas and later died.

Nina Pham, a nurse who treated Mr. Duncan, contracted the virus and is being treated.

“Ebola has been on the world’s radar screen since March and yet the United States and the international community are still scrambling to stay ahead of and stop this outbreak,” Committee Chairman Fred Upton, Michigan Republican. “We remain gravely concerned about this ongoing threat and the committee will continue diligently investigating the response efforts and preparedness plans.”

Rep. Michael Burgess, Texas Republican, told CNN on Tuesday the outbreak is increasingly serious and that officials should consider travel restrictions between the U.S. and West African countries most affected by the outbreak.

The question is also roiling political campaign across the country ahead of the November midterms.

“The time to consider stopping flights coming in from West Africa has passed,” said Ed Gillespie, a Republican trying to unseat Democrat Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia. “It’s time to impose a flight ban, which is exactly what this administration should do.”