Kinshasa: The World Health Organization has reduced the number of suspected Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo by several hundred, following investigations that revealed the patients were suffering from other illnesses such as malaria or meningitis.
According to Thai News Agency, the WHO announced that there are now 344 confirmed cases of Ebola infection and 116 suspected cases in the major outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This indicates a significant decrease from earlier figures, as investigations have ruled out hundreds of suspected cases.
WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier reported that 60 people have died from Ebola in the DRC and six have recovered. The latest case numbers were released by the DR Congolese authorities on Monday. In Uganda, nine confirmed cases and one death were initially reported. Subsequently, the Ugandan Ministry of Health confirmed six more Ebola cases, bringing the total to 15. The new cases were all close contacts of previously confirmed patients.
The WHO had earlier reported 906 suspected cases of the Bundibujo strain of Ebola in the DRC, with 223 suspected deaths under investigation. Jean Caseya, director-general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, stated in the Financial Times that more than 1,100 suspected cases were under investigation.
Lindmeier explained that the recent decrease in suspected cases was due to data indicating that hundreds of patients were excluded from surveillance after being found to have other illnesses or fevers without other symptoms. He noted that suspected cases could fluctuate based on future test results. Suspected cases are those detected through the disease surveillance system or patients with symptoms seeking treatment, while confirmed cases are those testing positive for the Ebola bundibujo strain.
The outbreak faced challenges in testing for the virus, as commonly used Ebola test kits initially could not detect the Bundibujo variant, delaying confirmation processes and inflating initial suspected cases. Additionally, there was no approved vaccine for this variant, and testing capacity was limited.