The World Health Organization has drastically revised the number of suspected Ebola cases in central Africa, dropping the count to 116 after hundreds of potential infections were ruled out.
As of May 31, the WHO reported 330 confirmed cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and nine in neighboring Uganda. Forty-eight deaths have been confirmed in the DRC, with one in Uganda.
The sharp decline from 906 suspected cases last week is due to testing that revealed many individuals actually had malaria, meningitis, or other diseases with similar early symptoms, according to WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier.
The outbreak was declared May 15 in the conflict-hit Ituri province in northeastern DRC. The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola can present as flu, malaria, or typhoid initially, delaying detection.
Six confirmed Ebola patients have recovered. No vaccine or approved treatment exists for this strain, making containment reliant on preventive measures.