WHO thinks Tanzania may be hiding info on Ebola cases

The World Health Organization in a statement Saturday accused Tanzania of withholding information about suspected Ebola cases in the country.

The U.N. agency was made aware of the suspected cases in Tanzania earlier this month, but WHO was then prevented from participating in blood samples testing. The Tanzania government then reportedly informed the organization that Ebola had been ruled out, although they did not offer any alternative diagnoses.

WHO's statement referred to a 34-year-old doctor studying in central Uganda who returned to Tanzania with Ebola-like symptoms before dying in Dar es Salaam, the country's capital, earlier in September. The illness was reportedly contagious and numerous contacts became ill. Unofficial reports led WHO to believe that the woman had, in fact, tested positive for Ebola.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Tanzania has never reported a case of Ebola, The Washington Post reports, noting that tourism is a major driver in the nation's economy, so fears that the presence of the disease could lead to trip cancellations may exist.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar has previously urged Tanzania to "comply with its obligation under the International Health Regulations" and allow for independent verification of the circumstances surrounding the doctor's death. The current Ebola outbreak began in August 2018. While new cases have occurred rapidly, they have mostly remained confined to provinces in eastern Congo. Read more at The Washington Post.