U.S. to Send Ebola-Infected Americans to Europe as Kenya Opens 50-Bed Quarantine Site
Updated
Updated · NBC News · May 28
U.S. to Send Ebola-Infected Americans to Europe as Kenya Opens 50-Bed Quarantine Site
10 articles · Updated · NBC News · May 28
Senior administration officials said any additional Americans who contract Ebola in Congo will be treated in Europe, not the United States, extending a policy already used for a U.S. surgeon flown to Germany.
A U.S.-run facility at Kenya's Laikipia Air Base is set to open Friday with 50 quarantine beds for exposed Americans, while positive cases would be transferred onward to still-unidentified European facilities.
Officials said shorter transport times drive the plan and tied it to a broader effort to keep Ebola out of the U.S.; Marco Rubio said the administration "cannot and will not" allow cases to enter.
The CDC has already barred noncitizens who were in Congo, Uganda or South Sudan within 21 days, as the Bundibugyo-strain outbreak in Congo has reached 1,077 cases and 246 deaths with no vaccine or treatment.
As a new Ebola outbreak grows, will the U.S. continue treating its citizens exclusively in European hospitals?
What are the undisclosed costs of asking European allies to treat America's sickest citizens?
U.S. Policy Shift in the 2026 Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak: Global Health Solidarity Tested Amid 170+ Deaths and International Backlash
Overview
The Democratic Republic of Congo is facing a rapidly worsening Bundibugyo virus outbreak, with unusual clusters of deaths and suspected cases spreading across Ituri and North Kivu. The situation is made more serious by the deaths of healthcare workers, highlighting gaps in infection control and the risk of the virus spreading within health facilities. In response, Uganda has tightened its borders, while the World Health Organization has called for urgent international support. However, the U.S. has chosen a controversial path, focusing on travel bans and quarantining citizens abroad, which contrasts with global health recommendations and raises concerns about international cooperation.