CNN Poll: One In Four Americans Worry Over Contracting Ebola, More Threatened By Terrorism

Sep 17, 2014 09:15 AM EDT

(Photo : Reuters/Tommy Trenchard) Medical workers with Doctors Without Borders prepare to bring food to Ebola virus patients in Sierra Leone, one of the hardest hit countries as Ebola epidemic ravages West Africa.

Despite President Obama's assurances of the extremely low chances of Ebola becoming an outbreak in the United States, one in four Americans are concerned that they or someone in their family would contract the disease, a poll released by CNN on Tuesday revealed.

The CNN/ORC surveyed 1,014 adults for the poll on Ebola outbreak, which indicated that 27 percent of Americans are worried about becoming a victim, compared to the 73 percent who are not.

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The poll also revealed that women are more worried than men that someone in their family would get sick, 32 percent to 21 percent.

On Tuesday, President Obama announced at the headquarters of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention his plan to expand United States' response in eradicating the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

This involved the deployment of 3,000 military personnel to lead the medical response against the outbreak along with hundreds of health care workers, medical supplies and materials for setting up medical facilities.

The Obama administration is hoping that its initiatives would enlist other nations' support for fighting an epidemic the president considers a "global threat" that necessitates a fast global response, CNN reported.

But the Ebola epidemic is only one of two unconnected emergencies Americans, and the Obama administration, are faced with.

The Islamic State group (ISIL) that has been wreaking havoc across Syria and Iraq and sent international governments scrambling to respond has also prompted Americans to worry over their personal safety.

According to CNN, 41 percent of Americans are threatened by terrorism.

The dual threats are yet to pose immediate threats in the United States. But White House said both have already claimed American lives.

Officials further warned that both the Islamic extremism in the Middle East and the danger of Ebola spreading beyond West Africa may evolve to become greater problems if the United States will not move in to fight back the hazards.

TagsEbola outbreak, Ebola epidemic, ISIL, ISIS, CNN poll