The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies announced Saturday that three volunteers have died from Ebola after being exposed to the virus while conducting body management work in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The volunteers – Ajiko Chandiru Viviane, Sezabo Katanabo, and Alikana Udumusi Augustin – were working with the Mongbwalu branch in Ituri province in the northeastern part of the country when they contracted the disease on March 27. They passed away on May 5, 15, and 16.
According to the IFRC, the three workers were engaged in body management duties as part of humanitarian operations that were not connected to Ebola response efforts. The current outbreak had not been detected when the exposure occurred.
The World Health Organization has classified the current outbreak as an international emergency. This particular strain, known as Bundibugyo Ebola, currently has no licensed vaccine or therapeutic treatment available.
Deceased Ebola patients remain extremely contagious, and improper burial practices where relatives touch bodies without adequate protection are a major source of virus spread. Red Cross teams are actively working in affected areas to prevent such unsafe practices.
“These volunteers lost their lives while serving their communities with courage and humanity,” the IFRC said.
Red Cross workers are currently conducting house-to-house visits in outbreak zones to counter false information about the disease circulating in affected communities.
