By Olivia Le Poidevin and Jennifer Rigby
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Geneva — The World Health Organisation (WHO) said there have been 321 confirmed cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) outbreak and 116 suspected cases, marking a large drop in the number of suspected cases as hundreds were ruled out after investigation.The agency said on Tuesday there had been 48 deaths and six people have recovered in the DRC. The Congolese authorities first put out the new case numbers on Monday.In Uganda there have been nine confirmed cases and one associated death, WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told reporters in Geneva.The WHO said on Friday that there were 906 suspected cases of the Bundibugyo Ebola virus in the DRC, including 223 suspected deaths that were being investigated. Later Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a Financial Times op-ed published on Sunday that more than 1,100 suspected cases were being investigated.Latest outbreakWhen asked why the latest figures showed a lower number of suspected cases, Lindmeier said the data suggested hundreds of cases had been discounted.“They have been cleared out and have either other diseases or have just had a fever and nothing else,” Lindmeier said, adding that the numbers would fluctuate over time as people get tested.A suspected case includes anyone who is picked up by surveillance or who presents with symptoms at a health centre, he added. Confirmed cases include only those who have tested positive for Ebola Bundibugyo.Testing has been a challenge in this outbreak as initially the more common tests used for Ebola did not detect the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is no approved vaccine, and capacity has been limited.The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website also listed 116 suspected cases and added: “On May 29, the DRC ministry of health updated their total suspect case count to remove suspected cases that have been ruled out after investigation and suspected deaths that are pending the results of ongoing investigation.”The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention announced the outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, the DRC’s 17th Ebola outbreak, on May 15, and the WHO swiftly declared it a public health emergency of international concern. • Meanwhile, on Tuesday, a Kenyan court blocked for another three weeks a proposed US Ebola quarantine facility that has triggered protests killing two people.The proposed 50-bed unit on an air force base in central Kenya for Americans exposed to the virus in the DRC or Uganda has angered many Kenyans, who say the US has offloaded the health risk of caring for patients. A Kenyan court last week temporarily suspended the plan in response to a lawsuit from a legal advocacy group. However, US military aircraft have continued to fly in staff and equipment in recent days, according to a US official and diplomatic sources. Kenyan high court judge Patricia Nyaundi issued an order barring the Kenyan government from taking any steps to build or begin operations at the facility in the town of Nanyuki before the case is resolved. Nyaundi also ordered the government to disclose all agreements and operational protocols related to the facility within seven days and scheduled the next hearing for June 23.The US state department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Hundreds of people protested against the plan in Nanyuki on Monday. Protest organiser Patrick Wahome said two people were killed by gunshot wounds after police opened fire. A security source also said two people had died but did not specify the cause of death.Police spokesperson Michael Muchiri said he was not aware of the deaths.On Monday, Kenya President William Ruto said the facility was part of a wider national preparedness plan and long-running health partnership with Washington.
