Nairobi, Kenya —
A Kenyan high court has temporarily frozen plans by the United States to establish an Ebola quarantine and treatment facility in Kenya – which has not recorded any Ebola cases – for Americans potentially exposed to the deadly virus in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), more than 1,500 miles away.
The move comes after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed earlier this week that the US “cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States,” prompting sharp opposition from Kenyan civil society which railed against an apparent double-standard. The rapidly spreading outbreak, which was officially declared on May 15 in the DRC, is believed to be responsible for at least 238 deaths and caused more than 1,000 suspected infections.
The deadly outbreak is driven by the Bundibugyo strain, a rare form of Ebola for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment. It has also spread into Uganda, which borders Kenya and the DRC. In Uganda, the virus has caused one death and at least seven confirmed cases, according to its government.
The plan by the US to set up an Ebola facility in Kenya for Americans, announced Wednesday, was criticized by Kenyan doctors and US officials working at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to a CDC source. It was also swiftly challenged in court by the Katiba Institute, a civil society group focused on constitutional issues in Kenya.
