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Congo Ebola Burial Teams Face Anger, Fatigue and Infection Fears
Ebola burial teams safely bury people who have died from the disease.
They must handle bodies carefully because the virus can still spread after death.
Families are upset because they cannot touch or prepare their loved ones in traditional ways.
Some burial teams have been attacked because of this anger.
The workers are tired and worried about bringing the virus home, but they continue working to protect their communities.
The outbreak has spread across six provinces in eastern Congo.
Fighting, people moving from place to place and weak health services make the outbreak harder to stop.
Health officials are using a vaccine for some workers, but they do not yet know if it protects against this particular virus.
Burial teams in Ituri prepare and bury Ebola victims while facing mounting fatigue and infection fears.
Bereaved families have protested restrictions on traditional burial rituals, and some teams have been attacked.
The outbreak has spread across six provinces, with nearly 3,200 deaths among more than 6,500 reported cases.
Rebel violence, displacement, population movements and weak health systems are hindering containment efforts.
Authorities are vaccinating frontline workers with Evrebo, but its effectiveness against the current virus remains unproven.
- Who
- Ebola burial teams, health workers, authorities and affected communities in eastern Congo.
- What
- Burial teams are conducting safe Ebola burials while facing fatigue, infection fears, community hostility and attacks.
- Where
- Ituri Province, especially around Bunia, and other Ebola hotspots across six provinces in eastern Congo.
- When
- The outbreak began in mid-May; burial teams have worked throughout the ensuing response, with attacks reported since May.
- Why
- Bodies can still carry active Ebola virus, requiring health workers to restrict traditional burial practices to prevent further infections.
Health Teams and Authorities
Bereaved Families and Communities
Safe burials versus traditional rites
Health Teams and Authorities
Health workers say bodies can retain active virus, so trained teams must handle them and limit direct family contact to reduce transmission.
Bereaved Families and Communities
Families say restrictions prevent them from touching, preparing and paying final respects to loved ones according to African customs.
Attacks on burial teams
Health Teams and Authorities
Authorities describe assaults on burial teams as offenses punishable by law and say the teams are protecting the community.
Bereaved Families and Communities
Community anger is fueled by grief, fear and frustration over an outbreak that has taken loved ones and disrupted familiar burial practices.
Continuing the response
Health Teams and Authorities
Burial workers say they must continue despite exhaustion and personal risk, while health officials use vaccination and other containment measures.
Bereaved Families and Communities
Frontline workers have gone on strikes over pay, and trauma experts say bereaved families and responders also need social and psychological support.
Key facts
- Reported outbreak toll
- Nearly 3,200 deaths among more than 6,500 cases.
- Geographic spread
- The outbreak has spread across six provinces in eastern Congo.
- Burial team pay
- Team members are paid USD 20 per day.
- Primary challenges
- Rebel violence, displacement, population movements, weak healthcare and surveillance, insufficient contact tracing and limited laboratory testing.
- Vaccine response
- Frontline health workers are being vaccinated with Evrebo, which the World Health Organization says may offer some Ebola protection, although evidence against the current virus is inconclusive.
- Community conflict
- Families are barred from handling bodies and performing some traditional burial rituals; burial teams have faced attacks.
- Projected severity
- The World Health Organization has said the outbreak is projected to surpass the 2014–2016 West Africa outbreak, which killed more than 11,000 people.
Quotes
Yuma Adolphe
Member of an Ebola burial team in Ituri
“In the past, we didn't die like this. I could not even cover her with the sheets myself and pay a final tribute.”
thehansindia.com
“It is difficult, but we try to push ourselves beyond our limits.”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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