Trump Ebola plan keeps exposed Americans in Kenya

The Trump administration plans to keep Americans exposed to Ebola in Kenya for monitoring and possible care instead of flying them to U.S. facilities, a break with past outbreak practice, according to New York Times reporting and a State Department update. The move would leave potentially exposed citizens in east Africa while Washington says protecting Americans abroad is its top priority.

The plan comes days after the administration restricted entry from Congo, Uganda and South Sudan. Taken together, the steps show a response that pairs offshore health management with tighter controls on travel into the United States.

In a 23 May statement, the Department of State said it was “offering transportation to safe locations to Americans affected by the outbreak” and that travelers arriving in the United States from Congo, Uganda or South Sudan would face enhanced screening for 21 days, the standard Ebola monitoring window. The department said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was leading the federal response while State coordinated transport and support for affected citizens.

“The Department is offering transportation to safe locations to Americans affected by the outbreak.”
— Department of State, Ebola Response Update

State did not say publicly that those safe locations would include the United States. The Times reported Tuesday that the administration was arranging transfers to Kenya and that some Americans had already been flown to Europe for treatment earlier in the outbreak. Kenya, rather than a U.S. hospital, would become the next staging point for citizens who may have had contact with the virus.

How the policy differs

During earlier Ebola outbreaks, exposed or infected Americans were typically brought home for care in specialized U.S. units, the Times reported. Under the Kenya plan, the monitoring period would begin abroad rather than after a medical transfer home, a change that also fits more neatly with the entry restrictions the administration announced last week.

On 17 May, the World Health Organization said the outbreak of Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda had become a public health emergency of international concern. WHO said Ituri province had eight laboratory-confirmed cases, 246 suspected cases and 80 suspected deaths as of 16 May. The agency also said, “No country should close its borders or place any restrictions on travel and trade,” a position at odds with the tougher U.S. entry posture.

Another Times report from 20 May said containment efforts may have been hindered by USAID shutdowns and CDC cuts, adding strain to the response. The paper’s 26 May report said Congo’s outbreak had grown to more than 1,000 cases and more than 200 deaths, a broader estimate than the confirmed totals in the WHO notice because local officials were also tracking suspected infections and fatalities.

Officials have not publicly explained why Kenya, rather than the United States, is now the preferred destination for exposed citizens. If more diplomats, aid workers or other Americans are exposed as the outbreak continues, the arrangement will help define whether Washington treats Ebola response as a medical evacuation mission or as a policy of keeping exposed citizens abroad.