Trump To Set Up Quarantine Facility In Kenya For Americans Exposed to Ebola

The Trump administration is expected to deploy United States (US) public health officers to Kenya to staff a potential quarantine facility ‌there amid the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The facility, which was pending approval from the Kenyan government ​as of Tuesday, May 26, 2026, is intended for Americans who have been exposed to or at high risk of testing positive for the virus in the region, as well as those who test positive, the report said, citing people familiar with ‌the matter.

Some members of the ⁠U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, a uniformed branch under the Department of Health and Human Services, have received notices ⁠to deploy, the report said.

The White House and HHS did not immediately respond to our requests for comment.

The move comes as health authorities race to contain a ​fast-growing outbreak ​of a rare Ebola strain in ​the Democratic Republic of Congo and ‌Uganda.

World Health Organisation offices. Photo/@WHO/X

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain, the third-largest such outbreak on record, a public health emergency of international concern. Ebola is a severe and often fatal disease transmitted through direct contact with infected bodily fluids.

Earlier on Tuesday, the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and ‌Prevention asked staff to volunteer for urgent ​deployment to support Ebola screening at the country’s ​entry points, according to an ​email seen by Reuters.

To date, no cases of Ebola disease ‌have been confirmed in the U.S. ​and the risk ​to the general public remains low, CDC said.

In Congo, there have been 906 suspected cases, including 105 confirmed, with 223 suspected deaths and 10 ​confirmed fatalities, CDC’s latest ‌data showed. Uganda has reported seven confirmed cases and one death, ​with most infections linked to the initial cases.

If approved, Kenya will then host Ebola patients, something that might raise fears among the public about the potential outbreak of the virus in the country.

“But the administration now plans to provide treatment in Kenya as well,” insiders were quoted by the New York Times.

Under the new plan, a few dozen Public Health Service officers are being trained to deploy to Kenya to provide medical care to Americans who are deemed at high risk of the virus.

As of Wednesday, May 27, 2026, there have been a few recorded cases of Americans contracting the virus, including an American doctor in Germany.  Six other Americans exposed to the Ebola variant have also since been transported to Germany and the Czech Republic for monitoring.

Under the directive, all travellers who have been present in the three countries within 21 days of arrival in the United States must undergo enhanced public health screening at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD).

–The New York Times