US official explains why Ebola-exposed Americans need a facility in Kenya, not in America

The United States has signalled it has alternative plans for handling Americans exposed to Ebola should Kenya ultimately block a proposed quarantine facility that has been stalled by court action and public opposition.

Speaking during a White House briefing, Administrator of the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr. Mehmet Oz, defended the controversial proposal to establish a quarantine centre in Kenya for Americans exposed to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and neighbouring Uganda.

His remarks came in response to a question from journalist Jennifer Jacobs, who asked where exposed Americans would be taken if Kenya's courts prevented the facility from becoming operational and why they could not simply be brought back to the United States for treatment.

Dr Oz argued that proximity to the outbreak zone was critical when dealing with potentially infected patients.

“The main issue with having a facility close to the Democratic Republic of the Congo is if a patient is sick,” he said.

“Again, I'll speak as a heart doctor. I want to take the patient to the OR that's right next door to the room they're sick in, not to the building next to them, or to three buildings two blocks away, because that time is precious to us.”

He compared the situation to emergency medicine, where rapid intervention can significantly improve outcomes.

“You have a golden hour in many of these instances around trauma, but for illnesses, it's also relatively short,” he added.

According to Dr Oz, the US State Department remains optimistic that an agreement can still be reached with Kenya despite the legal and political challenges surrounding the project.

“So we are confident, and the State Department's working on this diligently, that they're going to be able to work out something with Kenya,” he said.

While expressing confidence in ongoing discussions with Nairobi, Dr Oz also revealed that Washington has contingency plans.

“There has already been a fair amount of communication around this issue,” he said.

“We have the, and that's by the way, there's a UK base there. We have other people who might be willing to welcome us, and we have our German colleagues as well.”

The comments suggest that if Kenya becomes unavailable, the United States could turn to European partners, including Germany and the United Kingdom, to help manage exposed Americans.

Reuters previously reported that some Americans exposed to Ebola during the current outbreak had already been sent to Germany and the Czech Republic for monitoring and treatment.

The proposed facility has faced growing resistance in Kenya. A High Court order temporarily halted plans for the centre after petitions were filed challenging both the legality and public health implications of the arrangement.

Kenyan civil society groups and medical professionals have argued that the project raises constitutional and health concerns.

This week, the court further delayed proceedings, extending uncertainty over the project's future while requiring the government to provide details of any agreement reached with Washington.

Despite the controversy, Dr Oz maintained that transporting potentially exposed individuals thousands of kilometres away from the outbreak region would not be the best medical approach.

“So there's many places we can send folks,” he said, before adding, “but sending them across the world, especially when we're not sure what's going on with them, is probably not the wisest move.”