Trump administration wants to keep Americans exposed to Ebola quarantined in Kenya

US President Donald Trump points his finger during a cabinet meeting in the White House Cabinet Room in Washington, DC, USA, on May 27, 2026
REUTERS/Evan Vucci
Donald Trump's government is negotiating with Kenya to create a quarantine center for American citizens exposed to the Ebola virus during the outbreak hitting the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The measure is part of the strategy adopted by the United States to prevent potentially infected individuals return to the country immediately. According to American authorities interviewed by Reuters, those exposed to the virus would be monitored in Kenyan territory before being allowed to return home.
The Kenyan government has not yet approved the plan.
This Wednesday (27), during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, stated that the United States intends to prevent cases of the disease from entering the country.
"We cannot and will not allow any case of Ebola to enter the United States", said.
Ebola outbreak worries the world
Change from the 2014 outbreak
The strategy represents a change from the American response during the 2014 Ebola outbreak. At that time, infected patients were transferred for treatment at some of the centers specializing in infectious diseases in the United States.
Now, the Trump administration says its focus is on containing the disease as close as possible to the affected region.
The current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has already caused around 220 deaths and 900 cases.

The World Health Organization classified the event as the third largest on record for the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus and declared a public health emergency of international concern.
Experts question proposal
The idea of building a quarantine facility in Kenya has been met with skepticism by public health experts.
Amesh Adalja, a senior researcher at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said patients exposed to the virus would be better off in existing high containment units in the United States or in Germany.
According to him, these centers have accumulated experience in treating highly infectious diseases and have the infrastructure to offer complex treatments when necessary.
For the specialist, replicating this level of preparation in a facility created from scratch would be difficult.
Adalja also assesses that the measure could discourage health professionals from volunteering to respond to the outbreak.
Missionary case sparked controversy
Last week, an American medical missionary working in the Democratic Republic of Congo was diagnosed with Ebola and transferred to Germany for treatment.
Another five people exposed to the virus were also taken to the European country, while a seventh was sent to the Czech Republic.
According to The Washington Post, the White House initially resisted the idea of allowing the missionary to return to the United States, which would have delayed his evacuation and treatment.
Travel restrictions
In addition to negotiations with Kenya, the United States expanded restrictions on incoming travelers from the region affected by the outbreak.
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention imposed 30-day entry restrictions on people who had been to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the 21 days prior to travel, including permanent residents of the country.
The agency also began carrying out screenings at three American airports and called on volunteers to reinforce the teams responsible for monitoring travelers.
Infectious disease experts, however, question the effectiveness of these measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
Chris Meekins, who worked in the health sector during the first Trump administration, told Reuters that the strategy appears to reflect an attempt to avoid, whenever possible, the return of potentially infected people to the United States.
According to him, authorities assess that the available capacity in American facilities for this type of care is limited.

Source: G1

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