It has been difficult to gain a clear picture of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to Reuters, as reported by DR, this is partly because the most commonly used test did not detect the Bundibugyo strain responsible for the current outbreak.
As a result, some people were initially registered as possible cases without confirmation that they were infected with Ebola.
Cases under investigation
WHO stated, according to DR, that the figures may still change as more people are tested.
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Reuters reports that individuals who had contact with infected persons or showed symptoms of Ebola were automatically classified as suspected cases.
While this approach provided authorities with a broad overview of the situation, it also means that some individuals may later be removed from the case count.
Number revised downward
On Friday, WHO reported 906 suspected Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Reuters now reports that the organization estimates the number at 116.
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The reason is that many of the registered individuals were found to have other illnesses or experienced only short-term fever.
As a result, the outbreak now appears to be less widespread than initially believed.
Sources: DR, Reuters, and WHO.
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