Senior officials in the Trump administration announced that Americans contracting Ebola will receive advanced medical care in Europe rather than the United States. This decision is part of measures to handle the Ebola outbreak from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
A new facility has been set up in Kenya to house Americans who may be exposed to the virus. It opens with 50 quarantine beds and will eventually include isolation and biocontainment units for positive cases. However, those who test positive will not remain in Kenya nor return to the U.S.; they will be treated in unspecified European countries.
The [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] is working with the Department of State to identify where that facility or facilities might be.”
A key reason for sending patients to Europe is shorter flight times. The first American diagnosed, a surgeon from Congo, was transported to Germany for treatment. Officials emphasize the benefits of reduced travel time when caring for patients with Ebola.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated during a Cabinet meeting that no Ebola cases would be allowed into the U.S. The CDC has further restricted entry to non-citizens from Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan who visited within the previous 21 days.
To ensure quality care, U.S. doctors are stationed at the Kenya facility and in Germany where a doctor is receiving treatment. The Laikipia Air Base in Kenya hosts the quarantine center, having gained “forward approval” with Kenya’s president’s support. The U.S. Public Health Service staff involved includes those with experience from the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Liberia.
The WHO reports that the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in Congo has resulted in 1,077 cases and 246 deaths. No vaccine or treatment exists for this strain. Recently, seven Americans exposed in Congo were flown to Europe, including a doctor treated in Germany and his family, who remain in quarantine there. Another doctor is isolating in the Czech Republic.
Administration officials indicate no additional Americans currently require transport to Kenya.
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