The WHO says the number of suspected Ebola cases has dropped to 116 after hundreds of cases were ruled out
Geneva – The World Health Organization has said that there are 321 confirmed cases of Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and 116 suspected cases, which means that the number of suspected cases has decreased significantly as many are not found after investigation.
The agency said on Tuesday that 48 people had died and six had recovered in Congo.
Congolese authorities first released the numbers of new cases on Monday.
In Uganda, there have been nine confirmed cases and one related death, WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told reporters in Geneva.
Later, the Ministry of Health in Uganda confirmed six new cases of Ebola, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the country to 15, the Ministry of Health said on Tuesday.
The Ministry said in a statement on its X account that the six were confirmed in connection with other confirmed cases.
The WHO on Friday revealed that there are 906 suspected cases of Bundibugyo Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including 223 suspected deaths that are being investigated.
Later, Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an FT op-ed, published on Sunday, that more than 1,100 suspected cases were being investigated.
Hundreds of charges were dropped after the investigation
When asked why the latest statistics showed a much lower number of suspected cases, Lindmeier said the data suggested hundreds of cases were dropped.
“They’ve been discharged and they have other illnesses or they just have the flu and nothing else,” she said. Lindmeier said the numbers will change over time as people are tested.
The suspected case includes anyone who is taken under surveillance or shows symptoms at a health facility, he added.
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Confirmed cases include only those who have tested positive for Ebola Bundibugyo.
Testing has been a challenge in this outbreak, as initially the standard tests used for Ebola did not detect the Bundibugyo strain, there is no approved vaccine, and the dose is limited.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website also listed 116 suspects, saying: “On May 29, the DRC Department of Health updated the number of suspected cases to exclude suspected cases that were dropped after investigation and suspected deaths pending the results of ongoing investigations.”
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, the 17th Ebola outbreak in Congo, on May 15, and the World Health Organization immediately declared it a public health emergency of international concern.
