United States President Barack Obama has lauded the progress made against Ebola disease in West Africa, saying science, not fear, should define the response to contain the deadly virus.

"We don't want to do things that aren't based on science and best practices. Because if we do, then we're just putting another barrier on somebody who's already doing really important work on our behalf. And that's not something that I think any of us should want to see happen," Obama said.

Asserting that Ebola can be contained, the US president said that it is a disease that will be defeated. The disease "can be contained" and will be "defeated," he said.

"Progress is possible. But we're going to have to stay vigilant and we've got to make sure that we're working together. We have to keep leading the global response," he said.