Sen. Rand Paul said Ebola is `` not like AIDS , '' offering what he says is a stark contrast from the White House 's message on the disease . `` [ The Obama administration ] has downplayed how transmissible it is , '' Paul said in an interview with CNN on Thursday morning . `` They say it 's the exchange of bodily of fluids . Which makes people think , 'Oh , it 's like AIDS . It 's very difficult to catch . ' '' `` If someone has Ebola at a cocktail party they 're contagious and you can catch it from them , '' Paul continued . `` [ The administration ] should be honest about that . '' How the Ebola virus spreads . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Thomas Frieden said last week at a World Bank meeting in Washington that `` we have to work now so that this is not the world 's next AIDS . '' Paul said he does n't fault administration officials from learning more information about the disease as time goes on . But he argued that downplaying Ebola 's health risks is the wrong course of action . `` They say all it takes is direct contact to get this , '' he said . `` If you listen carefully , they say being three feet from someone is direct contact . That 's not what most Americans think is direct contact . Latest Ebola developments . `` You start to wonder about a basic level of competence , '' he said . Paul , who is widely believed to be considering a 2016 presidential run , touched on the race in the interview . When asked why Romney might be considering running , he said it was likely because of `` nostalgia . '' `` But I think if you talk to Ann Romney you 'll get quite a different story , '' he said . Complete coverage on Ebola .
Rand Paul said in an interview with CNN that Ebola is `` not like AIDS . '' He criticized the Obama administration for `` downplaying '' the disease 's significance .