According to The New York Times, the Trump administration intends to transfer U.S. citizens who may have been exposed to Ebola to Kenya for observation and medical care instead of returning them to the United States.
The news outlet cited sources with knowledge of the plans, saying the approach would mark a shift from previous outbreaks in which exposed Americans, including health workers, were repatriated to be monitored or treated in specialized medical units in the United States.
The report said the administration earlier this month flew an American doctor who developed symptoms to Germany and transported six other Americans to Germany and the Czech Republic for monitoring.
It added that the new plan would also keep some U.S. citizens who may have been exposed to Ebola out of the country.
That would come after the administration invoked a public health law known as Title 42 to bar immigrants and legal permanent residents who had been in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the previous 21 days from entering the United States.
According to the report, the U.S. government is setting up a facility in Kenya where American citizens could quarantine or be treated, through a coordinated effort involving the State and Defense departments and the Department of Health and Human Services.
A few dozen Public Health Service officers are reportedly being trained to deploy to Kenya to provide medical care to Americans deemed at high risk of developing Ebola.
The New York Times said the initial plan was to monitor exposed Americans in Kenya and transfer anyone who developed symptoms for treatment in Europe, but the administration now plans to provide treatment in Kenya as well, including for government scientists and physicians.
Each case would be assessed in case more advanced care is needed, according to a Trump administration official cited by the paper. A White House spokesperson declined to comment, the report said.
Ebola can be fatal, but early access to high-quality care and available treatments can improve survival chances.
However, experts quoted by The Times questioned whether a new facility in Kenya could match the specialised units already established in the United States.
