7/23/26 - Recent reports surrounding the quarantine of American aid workers highlight growing confusion over international containment policies and public health enforcement.

Seven individuals assisting with Ebola response in the DRC were quarantined in a Kenyan tent facility under conflicting conditions; disputed court orders halting construction of the facility and unclear voluntary quarantine status. Other American travelers with no documented exposure were unexpectedly detained at the US/Canada border.

These inconsistent actions raise critical questions for our Pandemic Center about clear protocols and the thresholds for government intervention during an ongoing outbreak.

Outstanding Questions

  • For Americans traveling home to the United States from the DRC (or a neighboring country):

    • What is the protocol, including location, timeline, and parameters, for Americans to quarantine in Africa for those who have traveled to the DRC and may not have been exposed to Ebola?

    • What is the protocol, including location, timeline, and parameters of exposure, for Americans to isolate in Africa for those who may have been exposed to Ebola in the DRC?

    • What is the protocol for Americans who don’t quarantine or isolate themselves in Africa, but who try to enter the United States at the border?

  • How are levels of risk determined or categorized for individuals? 

    • Is it a self-reporting process, or is there a risk rubric? 

  • What are the quarantine protocols at the quarantine facility in Kenya? 

    • If someone is considered high risk, are they isolated from the others? 

    • Are people quarantined in groups or individually? 

  • How are possible Ebola symptoms being monitored at the quarantine facility in Kenya? 

    • Are the US public health officers trained to monitor and test for Ebola? 

  • What is the protocol for Americans to be tested and treated if they have symptoms of Ebola? 

    • Is there a protocol for positive cases? 

    • If someone tests positive, where do they go? When and by what mode of transport?

    • Will all positive cases in US citizens be sent to Europe? Either Germany or another country? What is the agreement with those countries that makes that possible? 

    • Under what conditions would a positive case be sent to the United States for care in a Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center (RESPTC)?

  • What is the protocol if a US public health officer is deemed to have a high-risk exposure?

Learn more about the Ebola Outbreak