AKIPRESS.COM - President Barack Obama said on Monday that the government would develop expanded screening of airline passengers for Ebola, both in the West African countries hit by the disease and the United States.

The first patient diagnosed with the disease on U.S. soil, Thomas Eric Duncan, remained in critical condition in a Dallas hospital, as Obama was briefed by agencies involved in fighting the spread of the deadly virus, reports Reuters.

The president said it was important to follow existing protocols strictly.

"But we're also going to be working on protocols to do additional passenger screening, both at the source and here in the United States," Obama said.

However, the White House said that a ban on travel from West African countries, which some U.S. officials have called for, would slow the fight against Ebola.