The Trump administration is planning to send Americans exposed to Ebola to a new quarantine and treatment facility in Kenya instead of returning them to the United States, according to administration officials and people familiar with the plan. The facility is expected to be set up through coordination between the Departments of Defense, State, and Health and Human Services.
An administration official stated that the center will be designed to treat Americans who need to be moved quickly out of the Democratic Republic of the Congo region following potential exposure. The official added that the approach aims to reduce the need for long medical evacuation flights to the United States. It remains unclear where in Kenya the facility will be located or whether the Kenyan government has formally approved the plan.
Under the proposal, U.S. citizens exposed to Ebola would be monitored and treated in Kenya, with the possibility of transfer elsewhere if more advanced care is required. The administration has previously transported some Americans to Europe for treatment or monitoring, including Germany and the Czech Republic, as part of its response to the outbreak.
The Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo has continued to intensify, with health authorities reporting nearly 1,000 suspected cases and more than 200 suspected deaths. Officials have also cited challenges including insecurity, displacement, and weak infrastructure in affected areas, which have complicated containment efforts.
Public health expert Dr. Tom Inglesby of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security raised concerns about the proposed shift in care, stating, “We know that their chances of getting through an Ebola infection would be higher in specialized units that have been designed to care for them,” emphasizing the importance of established treatment centers.
