The Trump Administration is preparing a quarantine center in Kenya for Americans who have been exposed to Ebola, amid the increasingly serious outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a federal government official said Wednesday.
The move marks a change from previous Ebola outbreaks, in which Americans exposed to the virus were often repatriated to the United States for quarantine or treatment.
Lawrence Gostin, director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center on National and Global Health Law, said the decision to quarantine Americans in Kenya is “unprecedented.”
“This is likely to cost American lives.”Gostin wrote in an email. “We have an ethical duty to protect American citizens, especially the brave healthcare and humanitarian workers who have cared for Ebola patients. It is impossible to provide high-quality care to Ebola patients in Kenya, compared to our state-of-the-art facilities in the United States.”
During a White House Cabinet meeting this Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the Administration’s number one priority is protecting the American people.
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“We cannot and will not allow any case of Ebola to enter the United States,” Rubio declared.
The Wall Street Journal was the first media outlet to report on the quarantine facilities in Kenya.
The outbreak in Congo has worsened rapidly, with more than 1,000 cases and more than 200 deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The Government has already begun evacuating Americans from the region. Earlier this month, Dr. Peter Stafford, an American doctor who contracted Ebola in the Congo, was flown to a hospital in Germany. His wife and four children were also transferred there. Another doctor, Patrick LaRochelle, was taken to the Czech Republic for monitoring. Stafford – who at one point could barely stand and developed symptoms such as chills and fever – he is optimistic about his recoveryaccording to a statement released last week by Serge, the Christian missionary organization for which he works.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also blocked entry into the US for non-US citizens who have visited Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the past 21 days. Although U.S. citizens are exempt, they are being diverted to specific airports for additional medical screening.
The Kenya center, according to the government official, aims to give Americans access to medical care more quickly and avoid long medical evacuation flights, which can last more than 12 hours.
The official said the center – developed through a coordinated effort involving the departments of State, Defense and Health and Human Services – would be equipped to treat “the full spectrum” of Ebola, including patients who need intensive or critical care. Spokespeople for the agencies did not respond to requests for comment.
Patients requiring more advanced treatment could be transferred to other locations on a case-by-case basis.
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“Time is of the essence for Ebola patients, and this center will allow Americans in the region who contract Ebola to receive life-saving care as quickly as possible,” the official said.
It was not immediately clear where in Kenya the center would be built or whether Kenyan government officials had given their approval to the plan.
‘There are currently no vaccines or treatments approved for the rare strain of Ebola that is causing the outbreak, called Bundibugyo. The strain has a rate of mortality between 25% and 40%. Experts say supportive care will be important for anyone infected with the virus.
