Democrats were rueful on Tuesday, having seen their electoral prospects take a hit at the most inopportune time over fears that seemed, both now and at the time, irrational.

Three weeks ago, it was a media and political frenzy. Today, not one person in U.S. is being treated for Ebola. #panicpeddling — David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) November 11, 2014

New York officials, however, were understandably triumphant. "Dr. Spencer is Ebola-free, and New York City is Ebola-free," Mayor Bill de Blasio said during a press conference at Manhattan's Bellevue Hospital, where he called Spencer "a true American hero" and ushered him along for a parade of hugs. Yet with the outbreak still raging in West Africa, public-health officials struck appropriate notes of caution. Reported cases are down in Liberia but up in Guinea and Sierra Leone, and Sophie Delaunay, the executive director of Doctors Without Borders, said efforts to combat Ebola at its source have "yet to fully break the virus's chain of transmission."

"We must not let our guard down," Delaunay said. That will be tested in the coming weeks as Congress considers a request from President Obama for an additional $6.2 billion to fight the disease both domestically and abroad. Lawmakers are at their most compliant in a crisis, and Ebola's fast fade from the headlines could work against the administration's push for more resources. As officials have consistently warned, the risk for new Ebola cases in the U.S. will only be eliminated when the outbreak is halted in West Africa. If nothing else, the success in pinching out the disease the first time should help calm the reaction upon its possible return.

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