U.S. to Send Americans with Ebola to Europe for Treatment, Officials Say

The Story

Senior Trump administration officials announced that Americans who contract Ebola during the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will be sent to Europe for treatment rather than brought to the United States. A 50-bed quarantine facility is being set up at an airbase in Kenya for Americans who have been exposed but show no symptoms, while those who test positive will be transferred to biocontainment units and, if severe, evacuated to specialized centers in Europe. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated, “We cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States.”

Key Facts

• The administration will not allow Americans with confirmed Ebola to return to the U.S. for care; instead, they will be sent to Europe.
• A 50-bed quarantine facility is being established at an airbase in Kenya for Americans without symptoms.
• For Americans who test positive, biocontainment units are planned in Kenya; severe cases will be evacuated to unidentified European countries.
• The outbreak began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• The care will be provided by U.S. Public Health Service staff.
• The policy marks a change from previous U.S. Ebola responses, where Americans were monitored and treated domestically.

Conflicting Reports

The two sources report differing numbers for the outbreak’s case count and deaths. NBC News reports 1,077 cases and 246 deaths, citing the World Health Organization. NPR reports nearly 1,200 suspected cases and at least 220 deaths.

Still Unclear

• Exact locations of the European treatment facilities have not been identified (both sources).
• The name of the Kenyan airbase — Laikipia Air Base — is reported only by NBC News (single-source claim).
• Details about the only American who has tested positive so far — a surgeon flown to Germany with his wife and four children quarantining there, and another doctor quarantining in the Czech Republic — come solely from NBC News (single-source claims).
• NBC News reports that the U.S. has “forward approval” from Kenya’s president, while NPR quotes concerns from Kenya’s medical practitioners union and Africa CDC Director Jean Kaseya that the plan could strain Kenya’s resources (both single-source claims from respective outlets).
• Whether the plan will deter aid workers from helping in the outbreak is raised only by NPR (single-source claim).
• The specific Ebola strain (Bundibugyo) and the fact that there is no vaccine or treatment for it are mentioned only by NBC News (single-source claim).

Misconceptions

No widespread misconceptions addressed in the sources.

Key Figures

• Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State
• Debra Houry, former chief medical officer for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (quoted in NPR)
• Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (quoted in NPR)

Sources: NBC News, NPR