The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has led to a complex situation involving American aid workers and a new quarantine facility in Kenya. Seven members of the Samaritan’s Purse team, who had been working in Congo, are now under quarantine in a 50-bed bio-isolation unit built by the U.S. government on an air force base in central Kenya.
This development comes as the U.S. government introduced new travel restrictions requiring American citizens returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo to spend three weeks in a third country before entering the United States. The facility, intended for asymptomatic Americans exposed to the virus, has sparked significant controversy and legal challenges in Kenya.
Controversy and Legal Battles Surrounding the Facility
The construction of the bio-isolation unit has faced strong opposition from many Kenyans, who view it as the U.S. offloading health risks onto their country. The facility is at the center of a legal case, with a court ordering its construction to be suspended. Despite this, construction has continued, as confirmed by U.S. officials and satellite imagery reviewed by Reuters.
Last month, Kenya’s health minister announced an immediate halt to the facility’s construction after being found in contempt of court for failing to observe the suspension order. The legal and public backlash highlights the tension between international health efforts and local concerns.
Quarantine Details and Health Monitoring
Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse, confirmed that the seven American Disaster Assistance Response Team staff members are quarantined by the Kenyan government for 21 days. None of them have shown any symptoms of Ebola, but they are being monitored as a precautionary measure.
A U.S. State Department official stated that the group voluntarily moved to the Kenya facility for precautionary monitoring and isolation. Kenyan authorities have authorized their movement into the facility under the observation of U.S. Public Health Service clinicians. The decision was made out of an abundance of caution, according to the official.
An anonymous source familiar with the matter revealed that the group arrived at the site in central Kenya and are sleeping in army cots in tents. Some of the aid workers had treated Ebola patients at Samaritan’s Purse treatment centers in Congo, while others had roles such as construction with no direct contact with patients. There is one potential high-risk exposure among the group, and their health is being closely monitored.
Samaritan’s Purse and the Ebola Response
Samaritan’s Purse is an evangelical Christian group that has been promised several million dollars from the Trump administration for the Ebola response. The organization is one of the largest foreign aid groups treating Ebola in Congo and has the largest number of Americans working alongside the World Health Organization to contain the outbreak.
One of Samaritan’s Purse U.S. staff members who caught Ebola earlier this month was transferred to a hospital in Germany. The State Department official noted that any decisions on treatment would be made on a case-by-case basis. There is no proven treatment for or vaccine against the rare Bundibugyo species of the virus, which has already killed at least 828 people since mid-May.
Franklin Graham expressed his desire for Americans who catch Ebola to benefit from treatment in Kenya, highlighting the state-of-the-art facility. He stated, “If somebody did get sick, that’s the place you want to take them.” This underscores the ongoing efforts to balance international health responses with local sensitivities and legal constraints.
