By ALI SWENSON
NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration is planning to send Americans who are exposed to Ebola to a new facility in Kenya instead of flying them to the United States, an administration official said Wednesday.
The quarantine and treatment center being set up by the Departments of Defense, State and Health and Human Services will be designed for Ebola patients who need to get out of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and receive care quickly, said the official who requested anonymity to share the administration’s plans. The person said the plan would help patients avoid an hourslong medical evacuation to the U.S.
It wasn’t immediately clear where in Kenya the new facility will be built or whether the Kenyan government has signed off on the plan.
The official said the facility will be able to care for the full spectrum of Ebola, a rare but severe disease that is often fatal in people. But they said people may be transported elsewhere for more advanced care as appropriate.
Health authorities in Congo have been struggling to contain the outbreak that the World Health Organization has said is outpacing them, after the rare Bundibugyo type of Ebola was confirmed weeks late as tests were carried out for a more common type.
The number of suspected Ebola cases in eastern Congo is nearing 1,000, with at least 220 suspected deaths. Congo’s health ministry on Tuesday said 101 cases have been confirmed and that it is looking into over 3,000 possible contacts.
Challenges include the threat of armed groups in eastern Congo, a large number of displaced people and poor infrastructure.
Related Posts:
- US could send Americans exposed to Ebola to Kenya for treatment News More than 200 people have died from the virus so far (Picture: AFP) The Trump administration is considering sending Americans who may have contracted Ebola to Kenya, rather than treating them in the US. The US has already moved to ban entry, including to legal residents, who have visited the…
- Ebola patients who fled hospital set on fire by families ‘now evading treatment’ News Red Cross carry a coffin with the dead body of a child who died of Ebola in Mongbwalu, Ituri (Picture: Reuters) At least 18 people possibly infected with Ebola fled hospital after it was attacked multiple times by grieving families. At least 220 people have died of the virus in…
- Attacks from suspicious residents complicate the fight against a rare type of Ebola News By JUSTIN KABUMBA and OPE ADETAYO BUNIA, Congo (AP) — Every time Vanny Birungi, a volunteer with the Red Cross in eastern Congo, goes out to raise awareness about the latest Ebola outbreak as suspected cases near 1,000, she faces a double threat. One is the rare Bundibugyo type of…
- In Congo displacement camp, fighting Ebola with sand, oatmeal and one thermometer but no water News By JUSTIN KABUMBA and MONIKA PRONCZUK BUNIA, Congo (AP) — There is one handwashing station and one infrared thermometer to fight the Ebola epidemic in a camp for 10,000 displaced people in Bunia, a city at the heart of the outbreak in eastern Congo. Camp leaders say they tell residents…
- Rare Ebola strain with no cure ‘may be in Europe’ News Health workers in the DRC are working to contain the virus quickly (Picture: Getty) A health alert has been issued in northern Italy after two aid workers developed Ebola-like symptoms. At least 220 people have died of the virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo since an outbreak was declared earlier this month. Two…
(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)