Truck Breakdown in Niger Strands Passengers, Leaves at Least 49 Dead in the Sahara Desert

The United States has established a network of 13 government-funded hospital treatment centers prepared to handle patients with severe infectious diseases, including Ebola. Representatives from these facilities confirmed this week that most are ready to receive patients, should the need arise.

According to the World Health Organization, the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has resulted in 344 confirmed cases and 60 deaths. While one American with Ebola has been treated in Germany, the US State Department has stated that symptomatic US citizens exposed to the virus will be quarantined in Kenya. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) assured Reuters that the domestic network is prepared for outbreak response.

“

The United States’ investment in preparedness... remains a critical ‌component of national health security.

Public health experts have urged the government to bring sick Americans home for treatment. Protests at the planned quarantine site in Kenya have led to at least two deaths, and a Kenyan court has ordered a halt to its construction. The US has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in its health system's Ebola preparedness since the 2014 outbreak in West Africa, funding this network of 13 treatment centers.

Reuters contacted the 13 hospitals and universities participating in the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center program. Nine confirmed their readiness to accept patients exposed to Ebola. These sites include well-known institutions like the University of Nebraska and Emory University in Atlanta, as well as others like Bellevue Hospital in New York and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Emily Hilliard, an HHS spokesperson, emphasized that the US investment in preparedness is a critical component of national health security, with hospitals ready to safely evaluate, isolate, and treat patients with high-consequence infectious diseases.

“

Hospitals "stand ready to safely evaluate, isolate, and treat patients with high-consequence infectious diseases while supporting ongoing response efforts,"