Americans exposed to Ebola won't immediately return to U.S.
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Americans exposed to Ebola in Africa will quarantine in Kenya and be moved to treatment facilities in Europe if they test positive, senior Trump administration officials said on Thursday.
Why it matters: The administration's plan to keep affected Americans from returning to the U.S. has angered some public health experts, who say there already are specialized facilities stateside to treat them.
The big picture: Officials said flying sick individuals to locations in Europe will be faster than sending the individuals back to the U.S. and allow them to obtain prompt care.
- They did not say whether sick Americans will be able to return home at any point.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a Cabinet meeting earlier this week that the administration "cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States."
State of play: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the State Department are still working to identify the exact "high-level" facilities that can care for American citizens who test positive for Ebola, officials said.
- Medical officers at a quarantine facility in Kenya will decide on an individual basis whether and when symptomatic Americans should be transported for treatment.
- The number of suspected cases is approaching 1,000, and the World Health Organization has said conditions in the epicenter in the Democratic Republic of Congo are making it difficult to do contact tracing and containment.
Catch up quick: The U.S. government has set up a 50-bed quarantine camp at Kenya's Laikipia Air Base for Americans exposed or potentially exposed to the virus.
- The facility will be operational on Friday, though officials said they're not aware of anyone who will be immediately taken to the base.
- Biocontainment and isolation units will be brought in and used for anyone who tests positive or starts exhibiting symptoms until they can be transported to a medical facility.
- The government of Kenya has signed off on the plan, officials confirmed.
More than 30 members of the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service are on their way to Kenya. Each has received specialized training on protective gear, quarantine techniques and caring for Ebola-positive individuals, the officials said.
