Red Cross mourns death of three volunteers from Ebola in Congo

GENEVA - The Red Cross on Saturday paid tribute to three volunteers who are believed to have died after contracting Ebola while handling bodies and are among the first known victims of the latest outbreak 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 Organization on Sunday.

The three volunteers are thought to have contracted the virus during dead body management activities on 27 March as part of a humanitarian mission unrelated to Ebola, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said in a statement. At the time the latest outbreak had not yet been identified, it added.

Ajiko Chandiru Viviane, Sezabo Katanabo, and Alikana Udumusi Augustin, who volunteered in the Mongbwalu branch in Ituri province in the northeast of the country, the IFRC said. They died on May 5, 15 and 16 respectively.

Bodies of Ebola victims are highly infectious ‌after death, ⁠and unsafe burials - where family members handle the body without proper protective equipment - are a leading driver of transmission, which IFRC teams are working on the ground to avoid.

“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.

Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin; Editing by Susan Fenton/Reuters