The administration of Donald Trump is reportedly preparing to send American citizens exposed to the Ebola virus to Kenya for monitoring and treatment instead of returning them to the United States, marking a major shift from previous U.S. policy during Ebola outbreaks.
According to reports by The New York Times, the plan is being coordinated through the U.S. State Department, Department of Defense, and Department of Health and Human Services, with a treatment and monitoring facility currently being established in Kenya.
Several Public Health Service officers are reportedly undergoing training ahead of deployment to Kenya, where they will provide medical support to Americans considered at high risk of contracting the virus.
In previous Ebola outbreaks, exposed American citizens and healthcare workers were typically flown back to the United States for treatment in specialised medical units. However, the current administration has recently opted to send affected Americans to Europe instead.
Earlier this month, an American doctor who developed Ebola-like symptoms was transferred to a hospital in Germany, while six other Americans were taken to Germany and the Czech Republic for observation.
The original strategy reportedly involved monitoring exposed Americans in Kenya before transferring any confirmed Ebola patients to Europe for treatment. However, officials have since expanded the plan to include treatment within Kenya itself, including for government scientists and physicians who may develop symptoms while deployed in affected regions.
A Trump administration official told the Times that every case would still be reviewed individually, particularly if advanced medical care becomes necessary elsewhere.
The move comes as the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to worsen rapidly. Health authorities say the outbreak has already surpassed 1,000 confirmed cases and caused more than 200 deaths within days of being officially declared, making it one of the largest Ebola outbreaks ever recorded.
Critics have blamed recent aid cuts by the Trump administration for weakening disease surveillance systems and disrupting medical supply chains in the region, arguing that earlier intervention could have helped contain the outbreak sooner.
Last week, the administration also invoked the public health law known as Title 42 to restrict entry into the United States for immigrants and legal permanent residents who had recently travelled through Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan.
Ebola has a fatality rate of roughly 50 percent, although experts say early treatment and access to quality healthcare significantly improve survival chances.
Medical experts cited by The New York Times also questioned whether a newly established treatment facility in Kenya would be capable of offering the same level of specialised care available in dedicated Ebola treatment units in the United States.
The White House has not publicly commented on the reports.
