Ebola outbreak: Kenya moves ahead with US quarantine facility for Americans exposed to the virus, despite restrictions

Kenya's government is moving ahead with its plans to establish an Ebola quarantine and treatment facility at a military installation in collaboration with the US after a Kenyan high court temporarily suspended the arrangement.

The facility is being established for Americans who have been potentially exposed to the virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), over 1,500 miles away. Kenya has not reported any Ebola cases so far, CNN reported.

Trump admin plans quarantine facility

The development comes days after NBC News reported that US President Donald Trump's administration is planning a quarantine facility in Kenya for Americans who have been exposed to the virus. The quarantine facility is aimed at providing Americans access to care faster while avoiding lengthy medical evacuation flights, which often take over 12 hours, an official said.

The official noted that the facility, which is being established through a joint effort involving the Departments of State, Defense, and Health and Human Services, would be capable of treating the “full spectrum” of Ebola cases, including patients requiring intensive or critical care.

The decision to send Americans away marks a shift from previous Ebola outbreak efforts, when Americans who were exposed to the virus were flown back to Washington for treatment or quarantine.

US not to allow any Ebola cases in the country: Rubio

Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during a White House Cabinet meeting, said that Washington “cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States." Rubio's statement prompted a sharp response from Kenya's civil society, which criticised an apparent double standard.

Kenya backs Trump admin's quarantine facility

Kenya's Health Ministry on Saturday (local time) said the quarantine facility will help to "strengthen monitoring, isolation and emergency response capacity," and added that several other isolation and treatment centers will also be set up, including at Nairobi’s Kenyatta National Hospital and Kenya National Police Hospital.

The health ministry added that the US-Kenya partnership “further supports enhanced surveillance, diagnostic capacity, emergency preparedness exercises, critical medical supplies and rapid response capabilities."

Citing a US government source involved in the Ebola outbreak response, CNN reported that Americans helping to operate the facility arrived at Laikipia Air Base, about 125 miles north of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on Saturday.

Kenyan doctors slam US' quarantine facility plan

Citing a source at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), CNN reported that the proposed facility has been opposed by Kenyan doctors and officials working at the CDC. It was also challenged in court by the Katiba Institute, a civil society group focused on constitutional issues in Kenya.

In a ruling that was issued earlier this week, High Court Judge Patricia Nyaundi prohibited Nairobi from establishing or operating any Ebola-related facility under agreements with the US or any other foreign governments. The court also barred Kenya from admitting anyone exposed to or infected with the virus into the country until the legal challenge is resolved. The case is set to return to court on 2 June.

Ebola outbreak

The rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak, which was officially declared on 15 May in the DRC, is reportedly believed to be responsible for at least 238 deaths and to be causing over 1,000 suspected infections.

The outbreak is driven by the Bundibugyo strain, a rare form of the virus for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment. The strain has also spread into neighbouring Uganda, where it has caused one death and at least seven confirmed cases, according to the country's government.