The Trump administration has announced plans to send Americans who may have contracted Ebola to Kenya for treatment, rather than monitoring their health in the United States. This decision follows a recent outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where over 200 fatalities have been reported in 11 days, according to the New York Times. Experts have indicated that cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Centers for Disease Control have exacerbated the situation in the affected region.
The administration's approach includes preventing entry to certain foreigners from the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan under Title 42, a public health law previously used during the COVID-19 pandemic. This strategy differs from actions taken during the 2014-15 Ebola outbreak, when six Americans were treated in the U.S.
Initially, the plan involved monitoring potentially infected individuals in Kenya and transferring symptomatic cases to Europe. However, treatment will now also occur in Kenya, with a quarantine and treatment facility being established by the Departments of State, Defense, and Health and Human Services. Public Health Service officers are being trained for deployment to Kenya. The World Health Organization has classified the current Ebola outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern. Additionally, there have been no reported deaths from a Hantavirus outbreak on a Dutch cruise ship since May 2, with 12 cases and three deaths recorded as of last Friday.
