Kenya approves US Ebola quarantine request as WHO chief heads to Congo

Kinshasa/Bunia: Kenya has approved a request from the US to open a quarantine facility in the East African nation for Americans exposed to Ebola, two US officials told Reuters on Thursday as the head of the WHO was travelling to the epicentre of the outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo.Officials at Kenya's foreign and health ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but one of the US officials said the authorisation grants the US access to land at an air force base in Laikipia in central Kenya.Health authorities in Congo and neighbouring countries are scrambling to contain the latest outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain, for which there is no vaccine or treatment. However, the outbreak, which is the third largest on record, is outpacing the world's response. The approach, which hinges on identifying and isolating potential cases to control the spread of the disease, is weeks, if not months behind the curve and the WHO has declared a public health emergency of international concern."Sixteen times, this country has defeated Ebola. The 17th will be no different. But we must act now, together," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on X, ahead of flying to Congo.Tedros is due to arrive in Kinshasa later on Thursday and will then travel to Ituri province in Congo's northeast, where the first Ebola cases were reported and the virus has been circulating for weeks.In a bid to curb the spread, countries across the world have rolled out travel-related containment measures. The US has taken some of the strictest, saying it "cannot and will not allow" any cases of Ebola to enter the country. It temporarily banned the entry of green card holders who have been in Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the previous 21 days.The planned facility in Kenya is due to be staffed by members of the US Public Health Service, a uniformed branch of the department of health and human services. Kenya had been pushing for the facility to be open to all nationalities, not just US citizens.Some Kenyans have questioned why the US would not repatriate citizens exposed to Ebola back home.(This is a Reuters story)