The Trump administration is putting together a plan to send Americans who are exposed to Ebola while in Africa to a new treatment center in Kenya instead of bringing them home to the United States, according to a senior administration official who detailed the proposal on condition of anonymity.
The quarantine and treatment facility, which is being developed by the Departments of Defense, State, and Health and Human Services, would serve U.S. citizens who need to leave the Democratic Republic of the Congo and receive care quickly, the official said. The goal is to avoid the hours‑long medical evacuation to the U.S. that would otherwise be required for anyone infected with the severe, often fatal virus.
“The facility will be able to care for the full spectrum of Ebola,” the official said, though people may be transported elsewhere for advanced care if necessary.
It was not immediately clear where in Kenya the site would be constructed, and the official did not say whether the Kenyan government had signed off on the arrangement. The Associated Press first reported the plan on Wednesday.
The disclosure comes as a major Ebola outbreak continues to spread in eastern Congo. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern earlier this month, and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the death toll had reached 87 by mid‑May. Suspected cases in the country have since risen past 900, according to health officials.
During the 2014–2016 West African Ebola epidemic, the Obama administration flew several American aid workers infected with the virus to U.S. hospitals for treatment, a practice that at the time drew criticism from some lawmakers who argued it risked spreading the disease inside the country. The Trump administration’s plan would mark a shift by keeping patients in Africa, though officials have stressed it is intended solely to shorten the time between exposure and care.
The proposal does not change the standing policy on travel restrictions or quarantine for individuals arriving in the U.S. from affected regions, the official added. The Departments of Defense, State, and HHS did not immediately comment on the record.