AGENCIES: Tanzania’s government has summoned the World Health Organization(WHO) local representative after the UN agency accused the government of failing to provide information about possible Ebola virus infections in the country.
On Saturday, WHO said in a statement that it had learned of one suspected fatal case in the main city, Dar es Salaam, and two other infections but, despite repeated requests, was given no information.
Last week, Tanzania said it had no confirmed or suspected cases of Ebola.
Government spokesman Hassan Abbasi said on Twitter that the ministry of foreign affairs had summoned the WHO’s Tigest Ketsela Mengestu to obtain “in-depth details from the agency on reports circulating in the media”.
A short video clip has also been posted on the ministry’s Twitter account, showing Dr Tigest clarifying at a meeting with Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Damas Ndumbaro that the WHO did not say there was Ebola in Tanzania:
More than 2,100 people have died during the current Ebola outbreak in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.