NAIROBI — A 50-bed Ebola quarantine facility for Americans exposed to the deadly virus is set to become operational in Kenya on Friday, as the Trump administration confirms it will not allow exposed U.S. citizens to return home during the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Senior U.S. administration officials said Thursday the temporary field hospital has been established at the Kenyan Air Force’s Laikipia Air Base near Nanyuki and will initially serve Americans considered “high-risk” after exposure to Ebola.
The facility is expected to include biocontainment and isolation units for individuals who develop symptoms or test positive for Ebola while under quarantine. However, officials said patients requiring advanced treatment would be transferred to other countries and not the United States.
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the State Department are identifying tertiary care facilities that can receive Americans if necessary,” one official said, without specifying which countries would host such patients.
The quarantine centre will initially be staffed by 30 officers from the U.S. Public Health Service, including physicians, nurses, therapists, and laboratory technologists. Officials said the personnel underwent three days of specialized preparation before deployment to Kenya.
U.S. officials defended the shortened training period amid criticism from health experts, noting that several members of the team previously responded to the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak in Liberia.
“These individuals received extensive training in PPE, quarantine protocols, and Ebola patient care,” one senior administration official said.
“Some of them have already treated Ebola patients before. They understand the threat and know what they are doing,” the official added.
During the 2014 outbreak, U.S. response teams underwent up to 10 days of intensive classroom and hands-on training before deployment. The Monrovia field hospital in Liberia, however, was designed to treat both international and Liberian healthcare workers, unlike the Kenya-based facility which is specifically intended for Americans.
The move marks a major shift in U.S. Ebola response policy. In previous outbreaks, Americans exposed to or infected with Ebola were often flown back to specialized medical units in the United States for monitoring and treatment.
President Donald Trump has long opposed repatriating Ebola patients to the U.S. During the 2014 outbreak, he publicly criticized the Obama administration for bringing infected Americans home for treatment.
“Stop the EBOLA patients from entering the U.S. Treat them, at the highest level, over there. THE UNITED STATES HAS ENOUGH PROBLEMS!” Trump wrote on social media in August 2014.
Kenya has not publicly commented on the operational timeline of the facility, though its Ministry of Health previously confirmed discussions with the United States and other international partners regarding Ebola response cooperation.
