Americans exposed to Ebola in Africa will be sent to Kenya for care, Trump administration says
Health workers disinfect parts of the General Referral Hospital of Mongbwalu
(CNN) — As an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to grow, the Trump administration says it is focused on keeping the disease out of the United States.
“We cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a Cabinet meeting Wednesday.
The US “is setting up a state-of-the-art facility” in Kenya for Americans who may have been exposed to the Ebola virus but who do not have symptoms, Trump administration officials said Wednesday.
“The facility is designed to provide access to high-quality care for Americans who would need to quickly get out of DRC and quarantine without the risks of a lengthy transport back to the US,” one official said.
“Treatment capabilities at the facility are expected to be able to care for the full spectrum of Ebola Virus Disease, including critical care needs, though each case will be evaluated for forward transport for more advanced care as appropriate in order to maximize patient outcomes,” the official said.
They said the facility was being set up “through a coordinated effort” with the US State Department, the US Department of Health and Human Services and the Pentagon.
Some predict ‘awful consequences’
However, the US has its own specialized network of hospitals that are highly equipped to treat Ebola patients that some experts say would be much better utilized.
Jeremy Konyndyk, who was director of the US Agency for International Development’s Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance during the 2014-16 West Africa Ebola outbreak, noted that “the US has invested for years and continues to invest in a whole network of very capable Ebola isolation and treatment facilities.”
“Rather than having confidence in the capabilities we’ve built up here, we’re sending them just literally anywhere else,” said Konyndyk, who is now president of the humanitarian organization Refugees International.
“One of the things that I just find so viscerally offensive about the administration’s posture right now is they’re saying basically, if you’re an American who gets infected, we don’t have your back; you’re not welcome in your own country,” he told CNN.
Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease expert and former medical director of the Sierra Leone Ebola Treatment Center, called the new plan “insane.”
It will have “awful consequences,” she wrote in a post on X on Wednesday.
Lawrence Gostin, director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center on National and Global Health Law, said the outcomes will be worse for both patients and humanitarian workers.
The plan is “reckless, unethical & possibly unlawful,” he wrote in a post on X on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, an American doctor working in the DRC who tested positive for Ebola was sent to Germany for care, and another with a high-risk exposure was sent to the Czech Republic.
In a statement Wednesday, the Kenyan Ministry of Health noted “ongoing discussions with US government and other global partners regarding international collaboration on strengthening preparedness and response mechanisms for Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) and other emerging public health threats.”
“Any arrangements regarding international health cooperation will be guided by Kenya’s national laws, public health regulations, biosafety and biosecurity standards, and the overriding responsibility of Government to safeguard the health and welfare of the people of Kenya,” the statement said. “Protection of Kenyan citizens, frontline health workers and communities remains paramount.”
It is unclear whether the facility being set up in Kenya will also accept other nationalities, making some residents wary of the plan.
“Why do Americans think that their lives are so much important than the lives of Kenyans so that they establish a facility in Kenya that is made for only Americans,” Nairobi resident Robert Kiberenge told Reuters. “If they must be allowed to open that facility here, then it must be a facility that serves every human being in Kenya, Kenyans and Americans alike, but not restricted to quarantining only Americans.”
JFK airport added to Ebola screening locations for US travelers
US travelers returning from the Ebola-affected region of Africa are otherwise being sent to certain airports for health screenings.
US citizens and US nationals who have been in the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan in the previous 21 days are being directed to land in Atlanta, Houston and Dulles airport, outside Washington.
Health officials said Wednesday that John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York will be added to that list.
“For passengers who are allowed to enter (U.S. citizens or U.S. nationals), the Department of Homeland Security will redirect U.S.-bound air passengers to the following airports: Washington-Dulles International Airport (IAD), Atlanta (ATL), Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK),” a US Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement. “CDC will conduct enhanced public health entry screening for these travelers and confirm their contact information for public health follow-up if recommended.”
WHO officials have maintained since the start of the latest Ebola outbreak that the global risk level is low, even as the risk at the regional level rises.
“The NYC Health Department is in close communication with the CDC and discussing next steps as JFK airport becomes an additional Ebola screening location later this week,” NYC Health Department Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin said in a statement. “The risk to New Yorkers remains low. There are currently no cases anywhere in the United States. JFK airport has been used for screening travelers during previous Ebola and Marburg outbreaks. The NYC Health Department has extensive experience and protocols in place to protect the health of New Yorkers.”
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also invoked Title 42 – a public health law that restricts entry into the US during outbreaks of communicable diseases – for at least 30 days, as of last week. The move includes entry restrictions on non-citizens who have been in the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan, which borders both affected countries, in the previous 21 days, as well as screening and monitoring of people arriving from these countries.
Uganda closes border with DRC
In a situation report shared on social media Wednesday, the DRC government said that there are now 1,077 suspected Ebola cases in the country, with 238 suspected deaths. Among those, 121 cases and 17 deaths have been confirmed.
Neighboring Uganda has also reported seven cases associated with the outbreak, including one death.
The government of Uganda announced Wednesday that it’s closing the border with the DRC “temporarily … with immediate effect” over Ebola concerns.
Although Uganda has not reported any new cases since Monday, “the total number of contacts to the confirmed cases have increased,” according to a statement from the government.
Only authorized Ebola response teams, humanitarian operations, food and cargo transportation, and essential security personnel will be allowed to move across the border, the statement said. Those people will be subject to “strict health screening” and “continuous monitoring,” along with a mandatory isolation of 21 days.
“The public is urged to remain calm, vigilant, and strictly adhere to all Ministry of Health guidelines,” the statement said.
CNN’s Larry Madowo and Zachary Cohen contributed to this report.
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