Ebola conspiracies
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What recent events sparked protests in Kenya regarding Ebola?
It's hundreds of Kenyans in the town of Nanyuki today protesting a plan by the Trump administration to send American citizens who've been exposed to Ebola in Central Africa to Kenya instead of bringing them home. This Ebola outbreak started in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It's since spread to Uganda. But there are currently no confirmed cases in Kenya, and so Kenyans are asking, why send the Americans here?
I spoke to the head of the Kenya Doctors' Union lobby group, and he was like, why would we import something that is not here? Why should we make Kenya...
Today Explained from Vox does not appreciate cliches, but between cuts to American aid in the region, the sheer aggressiveness of this virus, and conspiracy theories that threaten public health workers, this Ebola outbreak has become a perfect storm. That is coming up next.
This is Today Explained.
The Wall Street Journal broke the story of the Trump administration's plan to send Americans who've been exposed to Ebola to Kenya instead of letting them come home.
What is the Trump administration's plan for Americans exposed to Ebola?
WSJ national politics reporter Sabrina Siddiqui, what is the plan?
So what the administration has been trying to do is set up a quarantine facility in Kenya at an Air Force base where they would essentially house people. Americans who have been exposed to Ebola and anyone who also tests positive. And they're kind of describing it as somewhat of a tent hospital, but there are various plans underway for Also adding potentially, if needed, isolation units and biocontainment units. That is, of course, if there are people who truly get sick or need further care.
How does the U.S. typically handle Ebola outbreaks involving citizens?
But even then, I think what they see this as is an opportunity to have a place for Americans to quarantine while they're evaluated and they have deployed public health officers from the United States to assist with these efforts. And one thing that they have also said is that if Americans test positive, they would only perhaps stay at this facility for a couple of days before being sent to another country. And they're looking at facilities in Europe that could potentially accommodate Americans if they were to truly get sick.
OK, so what the U.S. is saying is we don't want you coming back into the U.S. You look at the reaction to this here at home and there's a lot of shock. Ebola outbreaks have happened before. This is a very dangerous, dangerous virus. How does the U.S. usually handle this when our citizens are affected?
That's actually been very striking about the administration's response to this particular outbreak, because in previous outbreaks, Americans who had been exposed to Ebola or who had tested positive were allowed to return home.
What are the reactions from Kenyans regarding the U.S. Ebola plan?
And they were monitored and cared for at quarantine facilities here in the United States. Two Americans infected with Ebola are expected back in the US for treatment.
For the first time in history, doctors right here in the United States will battle the Ebola virus. And it's been called a miracle. Doctors say two American missionary workers stricken with Ebola are cured.
We're gonna have new monitoring and movement guidance that is sensible. based in science and tailored to the unique circumstances of each health worker that may be returning from one of these countries after they have provided the kind of help that they need. And we do have biocontainment units as well. During this recent hantavirus outbreak, American passengers who were aboard the cruise ship where that outbreak occurred have been quarantining at one of those biocontainment units in Nebraska. So it's frankly been bizarre to a lot of public health officials I've spoken with and epidemiologists that Americans would not be allowed to come home. And it just appears to be the case that the Trump administration is taking a very hard line against letting anyone who is known to have Ebola to be allowed back here in the United States because what they're saying is that they do not want any Ebola cases to exist in the United States during this outbreak.
Multiple agencies involved here are also very involved in tracking people just to make sure that nobody comes into this country that has Ebola and creates a problem for us.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What recent events sparked protests in Kenya regarding Ebola?
0:00–1:12
2
What is the Trump administration's plan for Americans exposed to Ebola?
1:12–1:59
3
How does the U.S. typically handle Ebola outbreaks involving citizens?
1:59–3:03
4
What are the reactions from Kenyans regarding the U.S. Ebola plan?
3:03–4:34
5
What conspiracy theories are surrounding the current Ebola outbreak?
4:34–7:21
6
How do conspiracy theories impact public health responses in Congo?
7:21–10:27
7
What are the challenges faced by health workers combating Ebola?
10:27–13:39
8
Why is there distrust in health systems during the Ebola outbreak?
13:39–25:28