A Kenyan court suspended a U.S. plan to establish a quarantine facility for Americans exposed to a rare Ebola virus spreading in northeastern Congo. The U.S. planned to send exposed Americans to Kenya rather than fly them home, but the facility location and Kenyan government approval were unclear. Kenya’s government acknowledged discussions on Ebola preparedness support without addressing the facility. The U.S. intended to provide $13.5 million for Kenya’s Ebola preparedness. The High Court in Nairobi halted the deal until petitions are heard. Legal challenges cited public health risks, lack of public participation, and Kenya’s insufficient high-containment infrastructure. A doctors’ union threatened a strike and warned Kenya should not become a “dumping ground.”
"A U.S. administration official said on Wednesday that the U.S. was planning to send Americans who are exposed to Ebola while abroad to a new facility in Kenya instead of flying them home. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to share the administration's plans. It was unclear where in Kenya the new facility will be built or whether the Kenyan government has signed off on the plan."
"The Kenyan government only revealed discussions with the U.S. on support for Ebola preparedness but did not address the facility. The U.S. government intends to commit $13.5 million toward Kenya's Ebola preparedness efforts, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. The High Court in Nairobi on Friday put a stop to any deal on the Ebola facility until petitions against it are heard on Tuesday."
"The Kenya Law Society asked the court to nullify any agreements signed between the U.S. and Kenya on the project, citing public health risks and a lack of public participation. It also said that Kenya lacks "the high-containment infrastructure required to safely manage such a facility, exposing the public to serious health risks.""
"A Kenyan doctors' union on Thursday issued a 48-hour strike notice should the country proceed with the deal. It said the U.S. was clear that they would not allow Ebola on their soil and therefore Kenya should not become another "dumping ground." "As the vanguard of Kenya's healthcare system, we are utterly disgusted by the government's apparent willingness to trade national biosecurity and the lives of its citizens for foreign aid," the union's c"
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