Transporting the bodies of people who have died of Ebola between different areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), often for burials in their hometowns, poses a risk of further spreading the virus, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) warned today, quoted by Reuters, BTA reported.
As of July 14, more than 2,000 cases of Ebola infection and 700 deaths had been recorded in DR Congo and neighboring Uganda, with about two-thirds of those people dying outside clinics or hospitals, the IOM said.
The often deadly viral disease is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids from infected people or animals and causes symptoms that can include high fever, vomiting and internal and external bleeding. This particular outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.
The Ebola virus remains highly contagious after death, making burial practices a critical element of controlling the outbreak.
"If we don't properly handle the bodies, if we don't engage the local community [...] that means there will be more spread within the community," said Andrew Mbala of the Geneva-based UN agency.
IOM officials said transporting bodies between districts in DR Congo was a particular challenge as families sought to bury their loved ones in their hometowns.
"There have been no cases of bodies being transported to another country, but we have seen many cases of bodies being transported within the country," Mbala said.
IOM warned that the practice poses a risk of spreading the virus to new areas if corpses are not treated safely.