The global pantomime of disease containment took another farcical turn today as Kenya, in a fit of pique or prudence, suspended construction of a gleaming new Ebola treatment centre funded by American largesse. A nation that has faced down elephants, locusts, and the occasional political coup has apparently drawn a line at the prospect of building a facility that might actually be useful. The Kenyan health ministry, in a statement that reeked of bureaucratic fog, cited 'operational reviews' and 'stakeholder consultations' as the reason for the stoppage.
Meanwhile, British health experts – those doomsayers in tweed who have been right about everything since the Spanish flu – are muttering darkly about 'quarantine gaps' and 'chinks in the global armour.' One senior epidemiologist, who shall remain nameless for fear of diplomatic incidents, confided that the decision was akin to 'building a fire station and then refusing to put in a fire pole.' The suspension leaves a yawning hole in the region's pandemic preparedness, a hole that could be filled with the bodies of the unprepared.
But no matter, the auction of tenders will no doubt be a jolly affair, attended by men in suits who have never seen a fever chart. The British government, ever the hand-wringing uncle, has expressed 'concern' and offered 'technical assistance,' which is diplomatic code for 'we told you so, you oaf.' As the sun sets on Nairobi, one can almost hear the rustle of red tape and the clink of tonic water.
The cocktail of politics and public health has never been more potent, nor more bitter.
