Azar calls for transparency in Ebola-like death in Tanzania

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on Monday called for transparency from Tanzanian officials in the case of a patient who recently died after suffering Ebola-like symptoms, The Associated Press reported.

Azar told reporters in Uganda that he and others are “very concerned” and urged Tanzania’s government to share lab results related to the case.

{mosads}Congo, which borders Tanzania, is in the midst of the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak in history, with confirmed cases now exceeding 3,000.

Azar said efforts were underway to secure Tanzania’s compliance with international health regulations and obligations to the World Health Organization (WHO) “to protect Tanzanians as well as all people in the region,” according to the AP.

Tanzania’s government said Saturday there is no confirmed case of Ebola inside its borders.

According to an internal WHO document obtained by AP, the patient, a 34-year-old woman, died on Sept. 8 and was buried the same day.

The victim was a student in central Uganda before returning to Tanzania on Aug. 22, according to the document.

“This mysterious disease has to be investigated and samples have to be tested. We couldn’t rule out any of the viral hemorrhagic fevers and the investigation will continue,” Dr. Yonas Woldemariam, the WHO representative in Uganda, said Monday.