Health workers interact at the Evangelical Medical Center in eastern Congo. (AP photo)
Seven US aid workers involved in the response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been placed in quarantine at a US-supported biological isolation facility in Kenya after the US government imposed new travel restrictions requiring Americans returning from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to spend 21 days in a third country before entering the United States, Reuters reported.The workers, all affiliated with the Christian humanitarian organization Samaritan’s Purse, are subject to a mandatory 21-day quarantine despite showing no symptoms of Ebola, according to the organization and US officials.
The first occupants of the disputed facility
Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse, said the seven members of the organization’s disaster assistance response team were placed under quarantine after returning from the Ebola response in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.“None of them showed any symptoms, but the Kenyan government is placing them in quarantine for 21 days,” Graham said.A US State Department official said the group voluntarily moved to the Kenyan facility for precautionary observation after serving on the front lines of the fight against Ebola.According to the official, Kenyan authorities allowed them to be transferred to the facility, where they are being monitored by doctors from the US Public Health Service.
The official said that this step came “out of extreme caution.”
Travel restrictions in the United States lead to quarantine
The development comes on the heels of new travel restrictions imposed by the US government this week that require US citizens returning from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the Ebola outbreak continues, to spend 21 days in a third country before being allowed to enter the United States.The isolation facility, located inside Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki, was built to accommodate asymptomatic Americans who may have been exposed to Ebola while working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or neighboring Uganda.
The legal battle over the facility continues
The quarantine comes even though the facility remains at the center of a legal dispute in Kenya.Its construction sparked public protests and opposition after concerns were raised that the country was being used to host potentially vulnerable foreign nationals.The Supreme Court had ordered construction work to be halted until the case filed by the Kateba Institute was decided.Last month, Kenyan Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale told the court that activities at the site had ceased to comply with the order.However, reports indicate that construction is continuing despite court directives.The Kenyan Ministry of Health did not immediately comment on the presence of American aid workers at the facility. A senior Foreign Ministry official also said that he had no information about this development.A source familiar with the matter said the group arrived at the facility in central Kenya earlier this week and were staying in tents equipped with military cots.According to the source, some members directly treated Ebola patients at Samaritan’s Purse treatment centers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while others were involved in support roles such as construction and had no direct contact with infected patients.The source added that there was one potential high-risk exposure and that the health of the group was being closely monitored.Kenyan authorities were reportedly preventing workers from leaving the facility during the quarantine period.Ebola is an acute viral disease that spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids from infected people or animals and can often be fatal.
The United States defends the project amid public concern
The US Embassy had previously said that the biological isolation facility in Nanyuki did not pose a health risk to neighboring communities, and described it as part of a broader regional strategy to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus.The embassy said the initiative complements Kenya’s ongoing support, including enhanced disease surveillance, laboratory testing, contact tracing, border screening, infection prevention and preparedness training in high-risk counties.Washington has also allocated nearly Sh1.9 billion to strengthen preparedness and response capacity to Ebola in Kenya.Samaritan’s Purse is among the largest international organizations involved in the Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, working alongside the World Health Organization to contain the outbreak.Earlier this month, one of its American employees who contracted Ebola was evacuated to Germany for specialized treatment.
