Experts criticise plan for American-only Ebola quarantine centre in Kenya | Ebola

The worker union at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is calling for Americans exposed to Ebola to be brought home for treatment, while former senior U.S. officials and other experts are urging the Trump administration to abandon plans for an Ebola quarantine and treatment center in Kenya.

Shortly after the United States announced it would establish a field hospital in Kenya for Ebola quarantine and treatment of Americans, Kenya’s high court blocked the decision; But the Kenyan and U.S. governments took action anyway, and the first American responders reportedly landed at Laikipia air base on Saturday.

Several former U.S. health leaders, including previous top CDC officials, voiced their objections in a statement. letter To Congress. “This policy raises profound clinical, ethical, operational and legal concerns,” they wrote.

Daniel Jernigan, who spent 31 years at the CDC, including overseeing the agency’s Ebola response in 2014-15 before resigning last year, said it was not clear how current officials arrived at this plan “because it went against a lot of the ethical foundations that we relied on for all past interventions.”

The US is in the process of building a 50-bed unit at the air base. Patients will have access to medications and some respiratory support, but those needing a higher level of care will be sent to as yet unidentified hospitals in Europe.

Yolanda Jacobs, president of the AFGE Local 2883 government employee union, said in a statement that the Trump administration “abandoned” CDC employees responding to the outbreak, a “sharp departure from the standard upheld by all previous administrations.”

The White House did not respond to questions about whether the facility would be accessible to Kenyans and others working on the Ebola response and whether all Americans working on the Ebola response would be required to quarantine or whether that would only be required for Americans with high-risk exposure. The White House had not previously said whether Americans who wanted to return home instead of going to Kenya would be allowed to do so.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services referred investigations to the state department and has been approached for comment. Last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: “We cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States.”

During the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, many people treating patients were safely evacuated to US facilities in Atlanta, Bethesda, Omaha and New York, and no transmission occurred. US President Donald Trump strongly opposed the move at the time, saying returning volunteers “must face the consequences” and should not be allowed to enter the US.

Ronald Nahass, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and director of medical research at ID Care, said Americans can safely quarantine after exposure to high-risk Ebola and that if they develop symptoms, the U.S. has some of the best quarantine and treatment facilities in the world.

“We have spent taxpayer dollars to create truly world-class biocontainment units to specifically address this type of issue and have trained staff with extraordinary expertise in dealing with this issue,” Nahass said. He added that these facilities “could handle this situation better than a field hospital in Kenya.” “If you’re concerned, why don’t you evacuate American citizens?”

During the 2014 outbreak, the United States created a field hospital specifically for healthcare workers in any country who might need Ebola care. “If you come to help West Africa, we’ll have your back,” Jernigan said of the 2014 approach. Creating a quarantine center solely for Americans in another country would be highly unusual and would be a major setback from such plans, he said.

Jernigan said it’s also unclear what would happen if quarantined Americans needed outside medical care for non-Ebola causes, such as a heart attack or appendicitis. “Are you going to send them to the Kenyatta hospital in Nairobi, and if so, are you going to send them in a bubble and have a special ward there? If you send them back to the United States, to a special facility that’s already been set up with millions of dollars for that, they’re surrounded by specialists.”

Travel bans and restrictions are ineffective in stopping the spread of the disease, Nahass said. “Borders are permeable, that way you can’t keep infectious diseases out of the country,” he said. Instead, Nahass said tried-and-true public health measures, such as monitoring potential exposures and ensuring healthcare providers are prepared for potential cases, would be much more effective.

Nahass said international cooperation is also very important to control epidemics. “These are global events and are not part of the global debate where WHO is the platform. [World Health Organization] “It is problematic.” He added that America’s absence from the world stage is notable and will have lasting repercussions.