MN Republican Senate Candidate Calls for Ebola Travel Ban

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.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Gov. Mark Dayton says he's been in contact this week with federal government officials about his request that Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport be added to advance screening sites for Ebola.

Dayton said he planned to renew those conversations later Thursday. He spoke Tuesday with a White House adviser for Homeland Security. Dayton wants Minnesota's main airport to be added to the hubs where international travelers from certain countries get health screenings upon arrival.

The governor said he is also setting up meetings with the state hospital and nurses associations about preparations if the viral disease showed up in Minnesota.

The state nurses union has urged that hospitals provide more advanced protective equipment to guard against infection. Dayton says he hopes to hear what role, if any, the state should play.