U.S. Plans Ebola Quarantine Centre in Kenya for Exposed Americans

The United States government is reportedly planning to send some American citizens exposed to the Ebola virus to Kenya for quarantine and treatment.

According to reports from several American media outlets, President Donald Trump’s administration does not want to fly Ebola-exposed citizens back to the United States for monitoring, unlike what has happened in the past.

Reports by The Wall Street Journal claim that the U.S. government is considering setting up a quarantine facility in Kenya. The facility would reportedly be staffed by American public health officers.

If the plan is approved by the Kenyan government, the centre will be used to isolate Americans who have been exposed to Ebola as well as those who test positive for the virus.

The proposed facility had reportedly not yet received approval from Kenya by Tuesday, May 26.

The move could raise concerns among Kenyans over the possibility of Ebola spreading into the country if infected patients are brought in for treatment and monitoring.

According to reports by The New York Times, the U.S. administration also plans to provide treatment services in Kenya under the proposed arrangement.

A few dozen American Public Health Service officers are reportedly being trained and prepared for deployment to Kenya to handle medical care for high-risk patients.

As of Wednesday, May 27, a small number of Americans had reportedly contracted the virus, including one American doctor in Germany. Six other Americans exposed to Ebola were also moved to Germany and the Czech Republic for observation.

Kenya has not recorded any Ebola cases so far despite screening more than 48,000 people suspected of exposure to the virus.

There were recent fears after reports emerged that three foreigners who had travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo entered Kenya. However, the Ministry of Health later confirmed that the individuals tested negative for Ebola, together with the people they had interacted with.

The Ebola outbreak started in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and later spread to Uganda and South Sudan. Kenya is considered at high risk because of its close connection and border movement with Uganda.

Before the latest reports about the quarantine facility, the U.S. government had already introduced strict travel measures to protect its citizens from the virus.

The U.S. Department of State directed all American citizens and permanent residents travelling from Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan to enter the United States through Washington Dulles International Airport for enhanced health screening.

Under the directive, anyone who had visited the three countries within 21 days before arriving in the U.S. would undergo additional public health checks at the airport.

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