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McFadden Calls For Travel Ban To Stop Ebola

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike McFadden is sounding the alarm about the country's ability to handle an Ebola outbreak.

McFadden says the federal government should take extra steps to prepare. He calls for the president to appoint a cabinet member to coordinate disease response and a temporary travel ban from West African countries where Ebola has killed thousands.

McFadden laid out those proposals in St. Paul on Thursday and criticized Democratic Sen. Al Franken for focusing on other issues. Franken has requested increased Ebola screening at the Minneapolis airport.

Federal and state health officials have said the virus doesn't pose a significant threat. But McFadden says the two nurses who contracted Ebola after caring for a man who died of the virus in Dallas highlight the country's ill-preparedness.

(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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