NAIROBI. The Kenyan government has moved forward with plans to establish an Ebola quarantine and treatment center in cooperation with the United States, despite a temporary restraining order from the High Court. This center will be built at the military base in the Laikipia Air Base. Its purpose is to monitor, quarantine, and treat American citizens who may have come into contact with the virus during the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
A statement issued by the Kenyan Ministry of Health on Saturday stated that this project will strengthen surveillance, isolation, and emergency health response capabilities. It was also informed that isolation and treatment centers will be established in other health institutions, including Kenyatta National Hospital and Kenya National Police Hospital.
High Court Judge Patricia Nyaundi recently issued an order stating that Kenya cannot operate any Ebola-related center or admit Ebola-infected or potentially infected individuals into the country under agreements with the United States or other foreign governments until the legal dispute is resolved. The next hearing for this case is scheduled for June 2.
The Ebola outbreak, formally announced in the DRC on May 15, has so far claimed at least 238 lives and seen over a thousand suspected cases of infection. This outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo Ebola virus species, for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment available yet. The infection has spread to neighboring Uganda, where one person has died and at least seven confirmed infections have been found.
This plan to build a quarantine center for infected Americans has created widespread debate within Kenya. Organizations including the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) and the Law Society of Kenya have warned that this step could increase the risk of Ebola entering the country. KMPDU Secretary-General Davji Bhimji Attelah stated that full transparency is needed regarding why the government accepted such a proposal. He questioned the rationale behind establishing such a center when Kenya’s health system is already under pressure.
