NEW YORK (AP) — Federal officials announced Wednesday that the Trump administration intends to establish a medical facility in Kenya to treat Americans who have been exposed to Ebola, rather than transporting them back to the United States.
According to an administration official who spoke anonymously about the government’s strategy, the quarantine and medical treatment center will be established through a joint effort by the Departments of Defense, State and Health and Human Services. The facility is intended to serve Ebola patients who must leave the Democratic Republic of the Congo and require immediate medical attention, the official explained. This approach would eliminate the need for patients to endure lengthy medical evacuations lasting several hours to reach the U.S.
Details remain unclear about the specific location within Kenya where the new medical center will be constructed, and it’s unknown whether Kenya’s government has approved the proposal.
The official indicated that the facility will have the capability to treat patients across the complete range of Ebola symptoms, describing it as a rare but serious disease that frequently proves deadly. However, they noted that patients might be moved to other locations for more specialized treatment when necessary.
Medical officials in Congo are working to control an outbreak that the World Health Organization describes as overwhelming their response efforts. The situation became more complicated after the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola was identified several weeks after initial detection, as testing had initially focused on a more commonly occurring variant.
Eastern Congo is approaching nearly 1,000 suspected Ebola cases, with a minimum of 220 suspected fatalities. Congo’s health ministry reported Tuesday that 101 cases have received confirmation and officials are investigating more than 3,000 potential contacts.
The response effort faces significant obstacles, including security threats from armed groups operating in eastern Congo, large populations of displaced residents, and inadequate infrastructure.
