US to quarantine its citizens exposed to Ebola in Kenya, not in US

WASHINGTON — The United States is establishing a quarantine facility in Kenya for Americans exposed to Ebola, as the Trump administration moves to prevent the virus from entering U.S. territory, the White House said Thursday.

Under the new policy, U.S. citizens who develop Ebola symptoms while in quarantine will not be transported back to the United States. Instead, they will be transferred to a third country for further treatment.

The move marks a major shift from previous U.S. responses to Ebola outbreaks, when infected Americans were brought home and treated at specialized medical centers.

The World Health Organization recently declared the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola an international public health emergency. The strain currently has no approved vaccine or treatment. More than 900 suspected cases and over 200 suspected deaths have been reported so far.

Senior Trump administration officials said the quarantine facility will be located at Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki, Kenya. It will house high-risk Americans who have been exposed to the virus but are not showing symptoms.

The U.S. State Department announced that Washington will provide $13.5 million to support Kenya’s Ebola preparedness efforts. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also spoke with Kenyan President William Ruto regarding the outbreak on Thursday.

“The United States’ highest priority remains protecting the health and security of the American people by working to prevent the Ebola outbreak from reaching our shores,” the State Department said in a statement.

Officials said the facility will provide advanced medical care for patients who develop symptoms before they are evacuated to treatment centers outside the United States.

“They will then be evacuated out to a tertiary facility,” one administration official said. “The CDC is working with the Department of State to identify where that facility or facilities might be.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently imposed temporary travel restrictions on people who have recently been in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan, including green card holders. Screening measures have also been expanded at three U.S. airports.

The strategy differs sharply from the U.S. response during the 2014 Ebola outbreak, when infected patients were treated at specialized infectious disease centers in the country.

Officials defended the decision to transfer patients elsewhere, saying it allows for faster treatment while reducing the risk of transmission inside the United States.

“We want to make sure that Americans on the ground there quickly and efficiently get the care they need,” one official said. “But beyond that, the administration is also working to ensure that Americans here in the United States don’t contract the disease.”

The Kenya facility is expected to begin operations Friday with a 50-bed unit. Plans are also in place to add biocontainment and isolation units for patients requiring more intensive care.

Medical personnel from the U.S. Public Health Service will staff the facility. Officials said treatment options may include monoclonal antibody therapies and Gilead Sciences’ antiviral drug remdesivir before patients are transferred.

More than 30 personnel, including experts involved in the 2014 Ebola response, completed training in Washington before departing for Kenya this week. Additional teams are expected to follow.

Public health experts, however, questioned the decision to avoid treating patients in the United States, arguing that specialized infectious disease centers in the U.S. or Germany may be better equipped than a newly established facility in Kenya.

Experts also warned that the policy could discourage medical workers from volunteering in Ebola-affected regions if they are uncertain about receiving treatment in the United States.

Last week, an American medical missionary who contracted Ebola while treating patients in the Democratic Republic of Congo was transferred to Germany for treatment, along with five others exposed to the virus. Another exposed individual was taken to the Czech Republic.

The Washington Post previously reported that the White House resisted allowing the infected American to return to the United States, potentially delaying evacuation and treatment.

-Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Deepa Babington and David Gregorio/Reuters