Kenyan court blocks U.S. plan to open Ebola quarantine center to treat Americans

Amna Nawaz:

In Central Africa, officials and health workers are still struggling to get control of a spreading and deadly Ebola outbreak. There are now more than 900 suspected cases and over 220 suspected deaths. Authorities fear the real numbers may be significantly higher.

Geoff Bennett:

And, today, a Kenyan court temporarily blocked the Trump administration's plan to open a quarantine facility there to treat Americans exposed to or infected with the virus.

William Brangham has more.

William Brangham:

That's right, Geoff.

Kenyan officials had initially approved this plan for an Ebola facility requested by the Trump administration. But local backlash spurred a legal challenge to halt that project. Under today's ruling, that facility must remain closed until the court hears the case next week.

For more on all of this, we are joined again by Dr. Craig Spencer. He's an associate professor of public health and emergency medicine at Brown University. He worked in West Africa during the 2014 outbreak and survived Ebola himself.

Craig Spencer, so good to have you back on the program.

About this Kenyan quarantine facility, you wrote that this was an abdication of American responsibility to possibly send Americans there. How so?

Dr. Craig Spencer:

Well, over the last year, we have seen an abdication of U.S. leadership on the global stage. And I think we're seeing the ramifications of that in terms of the response in Eastern Congo right now.

But this detail, not only that it's a quarantine facility, but that the U.S. also planned on treating American citizens who are infected with Ebola in this facility that they're creating in Kenya right now, is an abdication, because I'm worried that there is no way that, in the span of a few weeks or even a few months, they're going to be able to stand up the quality of care that is necessary to really take care of a very sick Ebola patient.

And I'm also concerned, because, over the past decade, the only real good thing to come out of my illness was the fact that we built and sustained a system of specialized treatment centers all around the United States that are capable of managing patients exactly like this.

Right now, those are sitting empty, and I would be saddened if those continue to sit empty when we have Americans that needed this type of treatment, this type of specialized treatment. As opposed to having them treated in some new facility abroad, I think that they should be provided that treatment here at home.

William Brangham:

So, given that, I mean, is it your sense that this move was more about public fear than medical necessity?

Dr. Craig Spencer:

My concern is that, over the last few weeks, we have seen the priorities of this administration, unfortunately, inverted in terms of what I think we need to be focusing on to truly end this outbreak.

We have heard that the first priority is to keep Ebola out of the country at all costs, and the second priority is to end the outbreak in Congo. The problem is, of course, is, is that we're not going to be able to truly prevent Ebola from coming to the U.S., even with all travel restrictions, any other type of ban, if we're not able to actually end the outbreak on the ground in Congo.

William Brangham:

This Kenyan facility is really just for the few Americans who might get exposed, again, wholly separate from the much bigger population of people who are wrestling with this epidemic right now.

What is your sense about how things are going there today?

Dr. Craig Spencer:

I will say there's been a lot of focus on this Kenya treatment facility and access for Americans, but my biggest worry about all of this is actually the attention and the resources it's taking away from the quality of care that we're actually able to offer to the hundreds and likely eventually thousands of patients that will be treated and will need high quality of care for Ebola over the coming weeks and months.

I would like us to focus our attention, our resources, financial, logistical, and human resources, on making sure we're able to not just create a third-tier system between what we can offer in the U.S., what's offered on the ground currently, and what might be offered for American citizens.

I would like us to focus on raising the floor and improving the quality of care for everyone that is impacted by Ebola in the region. That is the only way that we're going to get people to trust that they can go to these facilities and get good-quality care. That is the only way to make sure that communities are going to be on board with our response activities.

And, ultimately, that is the only way that we end this outbreak, which not only decreases the suffering in the region, but also lowers the risk of importation of cases, not just in countries surrounding Congo, but in the U.S. as well.

William Brangham:

You mentioned all the criticisms about the cuts to CDC and USAID and getting out of the WHO.

The CDC argues they are doing and are on the case now. Do you believe that that is true?

Dr. Craig Spencer:

We have seen over the last two weeks the U.S. response has dramatically scaled up in terms of sending people, money and resources. However, I still think it's a fraction of what we needed and what we would have sent in previous outbreaks.

And I still think that our priorities are inverted. I would like us to be focusing more on ending the outbreak right now at its source, primarily in D.R. Congo, than what I have seen as the number one priority of this administration, which is doing everything it can to keep Americans out, including, unfortunately, if that means Americans who might be infected with Ebola and need access to our treatment centers here at home.

William Brangham:

Dr. Craig Spencer of Brown University, always great to hear from you. Thank you.