The Tanzanian government has hit out at the World Health Organisation (WHO) over claims that the country is failing to provide information on suspected cases of Ebola in Tanzania, which the global health body claim is the risk of hindering the fight against the spread of the virus, which has already killed more than 2,000 people in the region. According to WHO, a suspected case of Ebola was reported in the capital city of Dar es Salaam recently and contacts of this patient, who tested positive for hemorrhagic fever, have been quarantined. The WHO went on to say that aside this suspected patient, two other suspected cases have been reported informally while the health authorities in Tanzania have failed to provide further details on the cases, WHO noted.
Responding, Tanzanian health authorities has assured the world body that contrary to their claims, that there was no Ebola in the country, while refusing a “secondary confirmation test” at a WHO centre, according to the UN Health Organization, even though they reported to WHO that a contact of the patient was sick and hospitalized. The World Health Organisation warned that inspite of these evidence clinical details and results of the investigation, including laboratory tests performed for differential diagnosis of these patients, have not been reported to them. Also because of insufficient information received by WHO, it is unable to carry hypotheses about the possible cause of the disease. WHO further warned that the that the initial patient travelled extensively in Tanzania and the uncertainty and lack of information surrounding these cases, which, if confirmed, would represent the very first Ebola epidemic in the country, meant that the risk was considered very high at the national level.
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Since the Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo over a year ago which lead to the death of over 2100 people, Eat African countries have been at an alert. It could be recalled that four people were earlier diagnosed as carriers of the virus in Uganda and they subsequently died.
But Tanzania has come out strongly to refute the allegations of harbouring an Ebola case in the country by formally telling the World Health Organisation (WHO), it had conducted investigations on suspicious cases and ruled out the deadly virus. The Ministry of Health of Tanzania has assured the citizenry not to panic as there is no Ebola outbreak in Tanzania.
The WHO announcement came a day after the head of a U.S. government health agency traveled to Tanzania at the direction of America’s health secretary, Alex Azar. Azar criticized Tanzania last week for not sharing information, saying on Monday he was aware of a death in Tanzania and that the government had reported two suspected cases who tested negative for Ebola. He specifically said that the government of Tanzania, however, has not made available the samples or the ability to test the index case of the individual who died, nor has it made available any other information. He called on Tanzania to comply with international obligations to share information and allow independent verification of test results.
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But in a swift reaction, the Minister of Health of Tanzania, Ummy Mwalimu insist that the Tanzanian government has investigated two recent cases of unknown illnesses, but they were not Ebola.She however, did not say if the two cases investigated included the death of the woman.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry.