President Barack Obama met with the presidents of Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia at the White House on Wednesday to pledge more U.S. support for the nations hardest-hit by the Ebola virus.
Obama also used the meeting to mark progress the U.S. has made in helping West African nations combat the Ebola epidemic, which has waned after killing more than 10,000 people last year. Sierra Leone is reopening schools for 1.8 million students this week after the outbreak forced the children to stay at home for nine months, according to the United Nations Children's Fund.
"Last week, there were fewer than 40 new cases; so we've seen major progress," Obama said during the meeting with Presidents Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, Alpha Condé of Guinea and Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone. "Now we're focused on the shared goal and that is getting to zero."