US vows to prevent any Ebola cases from entering the country

The United States on Wednesday said it must prevent any cases of Ebola from entering the country from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where an

outbreak has already caused a suspected 220 deaths and 900 cases.



The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola the third-largest such outbreak on record, and a public health emergency of international concern.



"We cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday at President Donald Trump's cabinet meeting.



The Trump administration's response, which it says aims to contain Ebola to the outbreak region, is a departure from the 2014 Ebola outbreak when the U.S. treated patients in some of its 13 specialized infectious disease centers.



The U.S. is in talks with Kenya over opening a facility there to quarantine U.S. citizens who are exposed, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Wednesday. Kenya's government has not yet approved the plan.