The Trump administration is preparing to send U.S. public health officers to Kenya to operate a possible quarantine facility for Americans exposed to Ebola during a growing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
The proposed facility, still awaiting approval from Kenya’s government as of Tuesday, would be used for Americans in the region who have been exposed to the virus, are considered at high risk of infection, or test positive, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.
Members of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, a uniformed service under the Department of Health and Human Services, have received deployment notices, according to the report.
The White House and HHS did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
The plan comes as health authorities work to contain an Ebola outbreak involving the rare Bundibugyo strain in Congo and Uganda. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, describing it as the third-largest recorded outbreak of the strain.
Ebola is a severe and often fatal disease that spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people.
Earlier Tuesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked staff to volunteer for urgent deployment to help support Ebola screening at U.S. entry points, according to an email seen by Reuters.
The CDC said no Ebola cases have been confirmed in the United States and that the risk to the general public remains low.
In Congo, authorities have reported 906 suspected cases, including 105 confirmed infections, along with 223 suspected deaths and 10 confirmed fatalities, according to the latest CDC data. Uganda has reported seven confirmed cases and one death, with most infections linked to the initial cases.