Tanzanian government: Burundian refugee not killed by Ebola

The government of Tanzania confirmed on Tuesday that a Burundian refugee who was thought to have died of Ebola in Kigoma region on the shores of Lake Tanganyika did not actually have the disease.

The deceased Buchumi Joel, aged 39, developed Ebola-like symptoms and died early last month at Maweni Regional Hospital in the region.

His death sparked fears of an Ebola outbreak in the Nyarugusu refugee camp.

The East African nation's Ministry of Health and Social Welfare said samples of the deceased tested negative for the Ebola virus but did not rule out the actual disease that caused the death of the refugee.

Joel was earlier diagnosed with a viral hemorrhagic disease, according to experts who spoke to media when the incident was reported at the refugee camp in Kigoma.

The viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) are a diverse group of animal and human illnesses in which fever and bleeding are caused by a viral infection.

Nsachris Mwamwaja, a spokesman for the Ministry of Health, said Ebola falls under this class of diseases but samples of the man tested negative for Ebola.

"If he had died of Ebola we would have announced already and it would be a serious public health issue now," said Mwamwaja.

The Ministry's report followed an earlier announcement by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) which said that it was "highly unlikely" that the refugee could have died of the Ebola.

The UN refugees' agency said the man had not left the region on the east side of Africa for three years and had no contact with anyone who may have been affected by Ebola in West Africa.

Ebola has killed over 10,000 people in West Africa since the disease was reported early last year. One of the most affected countries, Liberia, has already been declared Ebola-free.

Sierra Lone will in the next few days be declared free of the outbreak if no more new case of the disease was reported. The WHO says the disease is still prevalent in Guinea.