Lindmeier told reporters that once those suspected of having Ebola were tested, they were “ruled out, in many cases”.
For example, he said there had been “a couple of cases with malaria or meningitis case or others”.
“So they then of course drop off the suspected cases list and don’t appear in that statistic any more,” he said.
“If you’re confirmed, you’ve been added then to the confirmed cases,” he said.
It was therefore normal that the registered number of confirmed cases would continue to climb, while the suspected cases would fluctuate, he said.
WHO’s previous figures had also listed 223 deaths suspected of being due to Ebola virus but its new figures no longer include that category.
Asked about that, Lindmeier suggested the number had been very uncertain, since it included “people who died a while ago” and whose remains in many cases could not be exhumed to be tested.
Six people confirmed to have had Ebola in the outbreak have meanwhile been registered as having recovered, according to the WHO.
No vaccine or approved treatment is available against the Bundibugyo strain of the virus and efforts to contain its spread rely mainly on preventative measures.