US appoints ebola tsar as criticism mounts

President Barack Obama appointed an ebola tsar for the US, and the government said a Texas health worker who may have had contact with specimens from an ebola patient was isolated on a cruise ship.

Obama, who has faced sharp criticism from some lawmakers over efforts to contain the deadly virus, appointed Ron Klain, a lawyer who previously served as chief of staff to vice presidents Joe Biden and Al Gore, the White House said.

The cruise ship incident added to growing concerns about the possible spread of ebola after two nurses who cared for Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person diagnosed with ebola in the US, contracted the virus, which has killed nearly 4,500 people, mostly in West Africa.