Tanzania suspected of covering up Ebola cases

Tanzania rejected suspicions that it might have covered up cases of the deadly Ebola virus, calling it a plot to show the country “in a bad light.”

The health minister’s comments came after the World Health Organization issued an unusual statement saying Tanzania refused to share information and the United States and Britain issued travel warnings. The current Ebola outbreak based in neighbouring eastern Congo is now the second deadliest in history with more than 2,000 people killed.

Tanzanian Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu said there were two suspected Ebola cases last month, but the East African country determined they did not have the virus.

Global health officials had repeatedly asked Tanzania to share the results of its investigations, but Mwalimu asserted there is no need to submit a “negative sample” for further testing.

Countries with little or no experience testing for Ebola, especially ones such as Tanzania which have never had a confirmed Ebola case, are asked to send samples to a WHO-accredited lab to confirm the initial results, no matter whether they are positive or negative.

Via AP