U.S. Pushes for American-Only Ebola Quarantine Centre in Kenya

The Trump administration announced a 50-bed field hospital at Laikipia airbase in Kenya to quarantine and treat American responders exposed to Ebola. The unit will provide basic medication and limited respiratory support; patients requiring intensive care are slated for air-lift to undisclosed European hospitals. Despite a Kenyan high-court injunction, the first U.S. staff arrived on Saturday.

The Guardian

During the 2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak, the United States evacuated exposed health workers to biocontainment units in Atlanta, Bethesda, Omaha and New York, where no secondary transmission occurred. Those facilities were federally funded and staffed by specialists trained for high-risk pathogens.

The Guardian

President Donald Trump said volunteers would have to face consequences and should not be allowed back into the United States. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States will not permit any Ebola cases to enter. Former CDC director Daniel Jernigan, IDSA president Ronald Nahass, and union leader Yolanda Jacobs (AFGE Local 2883) have publicly commented.

The Guardian

The White House declined to comment on whether Kenyan nationals or other responders could use the centre and did not specify if all Americans or only high-risk exposures must quarantine. The Department of Health and Human Services referred inquiries to the State Department, which has not issued a public response.

The Guardian

Former CDC officials say the plan breaches ethical standards that guided past Ebola responses and raise concerns about care for non-Ebola emergencies. Union president Yolanda Jacobs called the scheme an abandonment of CDC workers and a sharp departure from prior practice. IDSA president Ronald Nahass argues existing U.S. biocontainment units can safely quarantine exposed Americans and that travel bans are ineffective because borders are porous.

The Guardian

Sources differ on whether all Americans or only high-risk individuals must quarantine, on the identity of the European hospitals for severe cases, and on whether Kenyan health workers will be allowed to use the centre. No protocol for non-Ebola care has been disclosed.

The Guardian

Legal challenges in Kenya are anticipated, and U.S. congressional hearings are likely as former CDC leaders and unions press for review.

The Guardian

• “This policy raises profound clinical, ethical, operational and legal concerns,” — Former CDC officials (letter to Congress)

The Guardian

• “We cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States.” — Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State

The Guardian

• “We’ve spent taxpayer dollars to create some really first-class biocontainment units to specifically address this type of an issue and have trained staff who are extraordinarily expert in dealing with this,” — Ronald Nahass, President, Infectious Diseases Society of America

The Guardian

• “Why wouldn’t you evacuate American citizens if you’re concerned?” — Ronald Nahass

The Guardian

• “If you come over to west Africa to help, we’ve got your back,” — Daniel Jernigan, former CDC official

The Guardian

• “abandoning” of CDC workers and a “sharp departure from the standard upheld by every previous administration.” — Yolanda Jacobs, President, AFGE Local 2883

The Guardian