The Trump administration on Thursday announced additional steps to fight an alarming Ebola outbreak in Africa and prevent cases from reaching U.S. shores.
Administration officials said they have set up a camp in Kenya to quarantine American citizens who may have been exposed to the virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo or other affected nations.
The center at Laikipia Air Base in central Kenya will let U.S. citizens wait out the incubation period for Ebola or receive treatment before returning to America.
The quarantine unit will begin operations on Friday. In some cases, Americans might be taken to tertiary centers elsewhere for more intensive care, officials said.
Also Thursday, the State Department said it will commit $80 million in additional funding to help nations combat the outbreak, bringing the total amount of U.S. assistance to $112 million.
The money will help the nations acquire personal protective equipment, screen people at their borders, trace contacts of infected people and obtain testing supplies.
So far, the Congo has reported 121 confirmed cases leading to 17 deaths, plus 1,077 suspected cases leading to 238 deaths in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
Uganda has reported seven confirmed cases, including one death.
The speed and ferocity of this Ebola outbreak is alarming officials, particularly because it involves the Bundibugyo virus, a strain for which there is no vaccine. Early medical care offers a better chance of survival.
Transmission of Ebola occurs through close contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday said U.S. officials are working hard to contain the crisis to the countries where it’s unfolding.
“The number one priority of our foreign policy is to protect the American people,” he said at Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting. “We cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States.”
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