Red Cross honors volunteers killed by Ebola in DR Congo

The Red Cross paid tribute this Saturday to three volunteers who reportedly died after contracting Ebola while handling bodies and who were among the first known victims of the most recent outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is no vaccine or approved treatment, has been declared an emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization.

The three volunteers are believed to have contracted the virus during body-management activities on March 27 as part of a non-Ebola-related humanitarian mission, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said in a statement. At that point, the outbreak had not yet been identified, he added.

Ajiko Chandiru Viviane, Sezabo Katanabo and Alikana Udumusi Augustin, who were volunteers at the Mongbwalu branch in Ituri province in the northeast of the country died on May 5, 15 and 16 respectively, according to the federation.

The bodies of Ebola victims are highly infectious after death, and unsafe burials - in which family members handle the body without adequate protective equipment - are a major factor in transmission, which federation teams are working on the ground to prevent.

"These volunteers lost their lives while serving their communities with courage and humanity," the federation said.

Volunteers are also going door-to-door to combat misinformation about Ebola in the area that is the center of the outbreak in Congo.

Source: CNN