Ebola is very much on the minds of Americans , as 8 in 10 Americans believe someone new will be diagnosed with the disease in the coming weeks . But there is overwhelming confidence in the federal government 's ability to prevent a nationwide epidemic , a new CNN/ORC International Poll shows . More than 7 in 10 Americans say the federal government can stop an Ebola epidemic , and 54 % believe the federal government is doing a `` good job '' in addressing the disease . The high marks on the government 's response to Ebola come at the same time that President Barack Obama 's overall approval rating is only 45 % and Americans are angry over the direction of the country . A slightly smaller majority of Americans , 53 % , think that hospitals and healthcare workers in their community are prepared to treat an Ebola case , but only 26 % believe that someone in their area will become infected with the disease in the next few weeks . `` Most Americans seem to recognize that they are not in personal jeopardy themselves , '' says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland . `` In fact , the vast majority of Americans probably do n't know anyone who has ever been to West Africa . '' The poll comes as a national discussion over how to process people traveling from the Ebola hot zones into the United States is taking place . It shows that only 3 in 10 Americans believe the U.S. government should prevent foreign citizens traveling from West Africa from entering the U.S , while 2 in 10 Americans say that U.S. citizens returning from the hot zone should be stopped from entering the country . A strong majority , though , are in favor of quarantining people who show signs of having contracted the disease . More than 7 in 10 Americans say the federal government should take steps to treat Ebola in both Africa and the U.S. , while 27 % believe that it should be addressed only here in the U.S . The U.S. government has sent military troops to the hot zone to provide assistance . On Monday , 11 personnel including Army Major General Darryl A. Williams were placed under `` controlled monitoring '' at a U.S. base in Italy after returning from West Africa . Americans are split 50 % to 48 % when asked if they would take an Ebola vaccine if it became available . In terms of the midterm elections , 36 % of Americans say Ebola will be `` extremely important '' to their vote for Congress -- placing it right in the middle of the most important issues on people 's minds , according to the poll . Extremely Important to Your Vote for Congress . · Economy 46 % . · Terrorism 45 % . · ISIS 41 % . · Healthcare 41 % . · Budget Deficit 38 % . · Ebola 36 % . · Immigration 32 % . · Foreign Affairs 29 % . · Gun Policy 28 % . · Race Relations 24 % . · Same-sex marriage 17 % .
Majority of Americans say the federal government is doing a `` good job '' responding to Ebola . Finding comes as Obama 's approval rating is only 45 % .