Experts Criticize Plan for US-Only Ebola Isolation Center in Kenya

Former top US health officials and independent experts are urging the Trump administration to abandon plans to build an Ebola isolation and treatment center in Kenya reserved exclusively for American citizens. The union representing staff at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is also calling for Americans at risk of Ebola exposure to be brought home for treatment.

The plan emerged after the US announced it would set up a field hospital at Kenya’s Laikipia Air Base to isolate and treat American citizens for Ebola. Kenya’s High Court had previously ordered a halt to the plan, but both the Kenyan and US governments proceeded, with the first US response personnel reportedly landing at the base last Saturday.

In a letter to the US Congress, several former top health leaders, including former senior CDC officials, voiced opposition. “This policy raises deep clinical, ethical, operational, and legal concerns,” they wrote.

Dr. Daniel Jernigan, who spent 31 years at the CDC and oversaw the 2014-2015 Ebola response before resigning last year, said he was unsure how current officials arrived at this plan “because it goes against so many of the ethical foundations we relied upon in all previous responses.”

Currently, the US is building a 50-bed unit at Laikipia Air Base. Patients will have access to basic medication and respiratory support, but those requiring higher-level care will be transferred to unidentified hospitals in Europe.

Yolanda Jacobs, president of the government union AFGE Local 2883, said the Trump administration is “abandoning” CDC staff responding to the outbreak, marking a “stark departure from the standard maintained by every previous administration.”

The White House has not responded to questions about whether the facility will be open to Kenyan citizens and others involved in the Ebola response, or whether all Americans involved in the response must undergo mandatory isolation or only those at high risk of exposure. The White House also did not confirm whether American citizens wishing to return home instead of going to Kenya would be allowed.

The US Department of Health and Human Services referred questions to the State Department, which has been asked for comment. Last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “We cannot and will not allow any Ebola case to enter US territory.”

During the 2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak, many people were safely evacuated and treated at US facilities in Atlanta, Bethesda, Omaha, and New York without any transmission. Then-candidate Donald Trump strongly opposed this move, arguing that returning volunteers “should suffer the consequences” and not be allowed into the US.

Dr. Ronald Nahass, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, said American citizens can safely isolate at home after high-risk Ebola exposure, and if they develop symptoms, the US has some of the best isolation and treatment facilities in the world. “We used taxpayer money to create world-class biocontainment units to handle this, with highly trained staff. Those facilities can handle the problem much better than a field hospital in Kenya,” Nahass said. “Why not evacuate American citizens if you’re worried?”

During the 2014 outbreak, the US built a field hospital dedicated to healthcare workers from all countries requiring Ebola care. “If you came to West Africa to help, we would support you,” Jernigan said of the 2014 approach. He called building an isolation center in another country just for Americans highly unusual and a major reversal from previous plans.

Jernigan also noted it was unclear what would happen to Americans in isolation if they needed medical care beyond Ebola, such as a heart attack or appendicitis. “Would you send them to Kenyatta Hospital in Nairobi? And if so, would you send them in a bubble and have a separate area there? If you simply bring them back to the US to a designated facility built with millions of dollars, they will be surrounded by experts,” he said.

Travel bans and restrictions like these are not effective at stopping disease spread, Nahass said. “Borders are very permeable; you cannot stop infectious diseases from entering a country this way.” Instead, he argued that proven public health measures—such as monitoring potential exposures and ensuring healthcare providers are ready for potential cases—would be much more effective.

International cooperation is also crucial for controlling outbreaks, Nahass said. “These are global events, and not engaging in the global conversation, where the platform is the World Health Organization (WHO), is a big problem.” The US absence from the international stage is notable and will have long-term consequences, he added.