The United States has revealed it has alternative options for handling Americans exposed to Ebola if a proposed quarantine facility in Kenya is blocked by the courts, even as Washington remains hopeful an agreement with Nairobi will still be reached.
Speaking during a White House briefing, US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr Mehmet Oz said the US government was actively working with Kenya to resolve concerns surrounding the planned facility at Laikipia Air Base.
However, he acknowledged that other countries could be considered should legal challenges derail the project.
“We are confident, and the State Department’s working on this diligently, that they’re going to be able to work out something with Kenya. There has already been a fair amount of communication around this issue,” Oz said.
His remarks came amid growing scrutiny of plans to establish an Ebola exposure, quarantine and monitoring facility in Kenya for Americans working in regions affected by outbreaks, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Oz said the US had several alternatives should the Kenyan option fail.
“By the way, there’s a UK base there. We have other people who might be willing to welcome us, and we have our German colleagues as well. So there are many places we can send folks,” he said.
The US official strongly defended the need for a facility located near Ebola outbreak zones, arguing that keeping potentially exposed individuals close to the source of infection would allow for faster medical intervention if symptoms developed.
“The main issue with having a facility close to the Democratic Republic of the Congo is if a patient is sick. Again, I’ll speak as a heart doctor. I want to take the patient to the OR that’s right next door to the room they’re sick in, not to the building next to them or to three buildings two blocks away because that time is precious to us,” Oz said.
He added that delays in treatment could significantly affect patient outcomes and dismissed suggestions that potentially exposed individuals should be flown back to the United States before their medical status is fully established.
“You have a golden hour in many of these instances around trauma, but for illnesses, it’s also relatively short. Sending them across the world, especially when we’re not sure what’s going on with them, is probably not the wisest move,” he said.
The proposed facility at Laikipia Air Base is part of a broader US strategy to isolate and monitor Americans exposed to Ebola while ensuring immediate access to medical care if symptoms emerge.
The comments come just days after the High Court temporarily halted the establishment and operationalisation of any Ebola-related facility in Kenya under arrangements involving the United States or any other foreign government.
The conservatory orders were issued following a petition filed by Katiba Institute challenging the proposed arrangement.
“A conservatory order is hereby issued restraining the Respondents from establishing, operationalising, facilitating, approving or permitting the establishment and/or operation of any Ebola exposure, quarantine, isolation or treatment facility in Kenya pursuant to any arrangement with the United States of America or any foreign government or agency pending the inter-parties hearing of this application,” Justice Patricia Mande ruled.
The court further barred government agencies and officials from admitting, receiving, transferring or facilitating the entry into Kenya of persons exposed to or infected with Ebola under the contested arrangement until the case is heard and determined.
Katiba Institute sued the Attorney General and the Cabinet Secretary for Health, seeking urgent court intervention over what it described as a proposed but undisclosed agreement involving Ebola containment facilities in Kenya.
The lobby group argued that credible media reports indicated advanced discussions on establishing a facility that could host individuals exposed to or infected with Ebola and other highly infectious diseases.
On Tuesday, the High Court ordered the government to disclose all agreements, negotiations, approvals, risk assessments and operational protocols relating to the proposed Ebola quarantine facility in Nanyuki as the legal battle intensifies.
