NAIROBI, Kenya (AFP) - A Kenyan court temporarily halted the opening of an Ebola quarantine center for U.S. nationals on Friday following a petition filed by a rights group.
The facility was due to open in the east Africa nation on Friday according to U.S. officials, to quarantine Americans arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is battling a major Ebola outbreak.
Washington has defended its criticized decision not to repatriate Americans infected with the virus.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has vowed not to allow any Ebola cases on U.S. soil.
The U.S.-built facility was set to have 50 isolation beds and be managed by U.S. medical staff at Laikipia Air Base, about 125 miles from the capital, Nairobi.
A U.S. official confirmed the establishment of the quarantine center on Thursday but the Kenyan government has not directly addressed questions about the facility.
The facility was later to be provided with additional personnel, as well as "three isolation units, each capable of housing four patients," and "two bio containment units, each able to hold two patients each," the official said, without providing a timeline.
Should these patients develop symptoms or test positive, they would be treated in the units "until they are transported out" to specialized centers in Europe, the official said.
Katiba Institute, a Kenyan rights group, filed a court petition against the quarantine center plans, saying it was being established unilaterally and in secret after which a conservatory order was issued on Friday halting the process.
The petition also prohibits the entry of people exposed to Ebola.
The Kenyan government has 48 hours to respond to the petition with a mention date set for June 2.
The U.S. official defended the quarantine facility, saying the goal was to shorten patients' journeys and dismissed any political motivation.
Rubio spoke to Kenyan President William Ruto via telephone on Thursday, his spokesperson said, adding that Washington intends to provide $13.5 million in aid to fund Kenya's Ebola preparedness efforts.
A second U.S. official said Kenyan authorities have given "forward approval" for the project to Washington, which has had discussions with Ruto "on the establishment of this facility."
Health deal
Nairobi and Washington signed a health deal in December under which the U.S. is providing financial support for multiple programs, including "infectious disease outbreak response and preparedness."
But the agreement is currently being challenged in court.
Kenyan doctors have also criticized the quarantine center, saying the government was trading "the lives of its citizens for foreign aid" and threatened an industrial action.
"If it is too dangerous for America, it is too dangerous for Kenya," the union of Kenyan doctors said.
Kenya has been testing arrivals and has yet to report any cases of Ebola on its territory from the current outbreak.
The World Health Organization has recorded 17 confirmed and 223 suspected Ebola deaths in Congo since the outbreak was declared on May 15, out of 125 confirmed cases and over 900 suspected cases.
There have also been at least seven cases in Uganda, which borders both the DRC and Kenya.
No vaccine or treatment exists for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which is behind the current outbreak.
-
By Agence France-Presse
Source: Courthouse News Service
