Ebola outbreak: Kenya continues US quarantine facility for Americans exposed to virus, despite restrictions | Today’s news
The Kenyan government is moving ahead with plans to set up an Ebola quarantine and treatment facility at a military facility in partnership with the US after Kenya’s Supreme Court temporarily suspended the arrangement.
The facility is being set up for Americans who have been potentially exposed to the virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), more than 1,500 miles away. Kenya has not yet reported any cases of Ebola, CNN reported.
Trump admin plans quarantine facility
The development comes days after NBC News reported that US President Donald Trump’s administration is planning a quarantine facility in Kenya for Americans who have been exposed to the virus. The goal of the quarantine facility is to give Americans faster access to care while avoiding lengthy medical evacuation flights that often last more than 12 hours, the official said.
Read also | Ebola outbreak: US prepares Kenyan quarantine facility for exposed Americans
The official noted that the facility, which is a joint effort involving the departments of State, Defense and Health and Human Services, would be able to treat the “full spectrum” of Ebola cases, including patients requiring intensive or critical care.
The decision to send the Americans away marks a shift from previous efforts to contain Ebola outbreaks, where Americans exposed to the virus were flown back to Washington for treatment or quarantine.
US will not allow any Ebola cases into country: Rubio
Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a White House cabinet meeting that Washington “cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States.” Rubio’s statement drew a sharp response from Kenyan civil society, which criticized the apparent double standard.
Read also | Congo hampers Ebola response as WHO warns contact tracing is failing amid uncertainty
Kenya backs Trump admin’s quarantine facility
Kenya’s Ministry of Health said on Saturday (local time) that the quarantine facility would help “strengthen monitoring, isolation and emergency response capacity”, adding that several other isolation and treatment centers would also be set up, including at Nairobi’s Kenyatta National Hospital and the Kenya National Police Hospital.
The health ministry added that the US-Kenya partnership “further supports improved surveillance, diagnostic capacity, emergency preparedness exercises, critical medical supplies and rapid response capabilities.”
Citing a US government source involved in the response to the Ebola outbreak, CNN said Americans helping to operate the facility arrived Saturday at Laikipia Air Force Base, about 125 miles north of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
Kenyan doctors criticize plan for US quarantine facilities
Citing a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) source, CNN reported that the proposed facility was opposed by Kenyan doctors and officials working at the CDC. It was also challenged in court by the Katiba Institute, a civil society group focused on constitutional issues in Kenya.
In a ruling issued earlier this week, High Court judge Patricia Nyaundi banned Nairobi from setting up or operating any Ebola-related facility under agreements with the US or other foreign governments. The court also banned Kenya from admitting anyone exposed to or infected with the virus until the legal dispute is resolved. The case is due back in court on June 2.
Ebola outbreak
The fast-spreading Ebola outbreak, which was officially declared on May 15 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is said to be responsible for at least 238 deaths and more than 1,000 suspected infections.
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, a rare form of the virus for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment. The strain has also spread to neighboring Uganda, where the government there has claimed one death and at least seven confirmed cases.
