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updated 3:14 PM EDT, Fri October 10, 2014

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Wolf Blitzer's exclusive interview with Rand Paul will air in full on CNN's "The Situation Room" at 5 p.m. ET

(CNN) -- Sen. Rand Paul said Friday he doesn't want to "create panic" over Ebola, but stood by his belief that the virus is more contagious that the government is letting on.

"I understand people in government not wanting to create panic, and I don't want to create panic, either. But I think it's also a mistake on the other side of the coin to underplay the risk of this," the Kentucky Republican told CNN's Wolf Blitzer in an interview to air in full on "The Situation Room" at 5 p.m. ET.

Last week Paul, an ophthalmologist with a medical degree from Duke, expressed strong skepticism of the Obama administration's handling of Ebola. He called for the government to consider suspending flights to and from Ebola hot zones in Africa.

While flight changes have not been implemented, the government is starting to enforce closer screenings of West Africans at five of America's busiest airports.

Doubling down on his stance, Paul said he thinks temporary flight suspensions would be practical.

"I mean, if you want to visit your son or daughter and you're coming from Liberia, couldn't you wait a couple of months? I don't think that that is something so -- of such an immediate necessity that the chance for a worldwide contagion, I think it's not unreasonable," he said.

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Rand Paul to CNN: I don't want to 'create panic' over Ebola