President Donald Trump’s administration announced Wednesday that a joint effort by the Departments of Defense, State and Health and Human Services will establish a quarantine and treatment center in Kenya for Americans who have been exposed to Ebola while working abroad. An unnamed administration official said the move is intended to get patients out of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and into care more quickly than an “hours‑long medical evacuation to the U.S.” would allow. It was unclear where in Kenya the facility will be built or whether the Kenyan government has formally approved the plan.
Kenya’s health minister Aden Duale confirmed that officials are discussing “preparedness and response mechanisms for Ebola” with the United States. He added that any arrangements will be guided by Kenya’s national laws, public‑health regulations, biosafety and biosecurity standards, and the government’s responsibility to protect the health and welfare of Kenyans.
Public‑health experts expressed concern about the quality of care the Kenyan site can provide. Dr. Ali Khan, dean of the public health college at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said, “You’ve got to make sure the patient gets the best quality care, and you need to ensure excellent infection control.” Dr. Craig Spencer, a former Ebola survivor and professor at Brown University, said the plan “is a moral abdication of what this country owes its own” citizens.
The administration’s announcement follows recent cases of U.S. medical workers exposed to Ebola in the Congo. Dr. Peter Stafford, an American physician, tested positive and was transported to Germany for treatment, where his viral load has dropped rapidly thanks to antiviral therapy. Another American missionary, Dr. Patrick LaRochelle, was taken to the Czech Republic for isolation despite lacking symptoms.
In parallel, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has broadened Ebola screening at U.S. airports. Enhanced screenings began last week at Washington Dulles International Airport and Hartsfield‑Jackson Atlanta International Airport, with CDC staff also deployed to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston and scheduled to start at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. Acting CDC director Jay Bhattacharya sent an email to agency employees requesting volunteers to staff the new screening stations.