White House beefs up federal staff in Dallas to help Ebola response

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Friday decided to send senior personnel to help federal, state and local officials in Dallas grappling with the effort to identify and monitor who came into contact with three people diagnosed with the Ebola virus, the White House said. An "experienced" coordinator from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be named in Dallas to help federal assistance meet urgent needs, and a White House liaison also will serve on the ground in Dallas, the White House said. The names of the individuals were not immediately provided. Obama made the decision at a meeting on Friday afternoon with his top national security and health advisers, the third consecutive day he has convened officials to discuss what has become a major political issue for his administration. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Sandra Maler)