The Red Cross has paid tribute to three volunteers who died after contracting Ebola while handling bodies in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment, was declared an emergency of international concern by the World Health Organisation on Sunday.
Nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths have been recorded in Congo, with five in neighboring Uganda.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies stated the volunteers likely contracted the virus on 27 March during dead body management activities for a humanitarian mission unrelated to Ebola. At the time, the outbreak had not yet been identified.
Ajiko Chandiru Viviane, Sezabo Katanabo, and Alikana Udumusi Augustin, who volunteered in the Mongbwalu branch in Ituri province in the northeast of the country, died on 5, 15 and 16 May respectively, the IFRC said. They are among the first known victims of the latest outbreak.
Bodies of Ebola victims are highly infectious after death. Unsafe burials, where family members handle remains without proper protective equipment, are a leading driver of transmission, which IFRC teams work to prevent on the ground.
“These volunteers lost their lives while serving their communities with courage and humanity,” the IFRC said.
IFRC volunteers are also going door-to-door to combat misinformation about Ebola in the area at the centre of the outbreak in the Congo.
