Democratic Republic Of The Congo: As Ebola Spreads, Partners Expand Capacity For Safe, Dignified Burials

(MENAFN- African Press Organization)
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OCHA reports that efforts are underway to scale up safe and dignified burials as the Ebola outbreak spreads in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, since the virus remains highly contagious after death.

The World Health Organization warns that 60 per cent of deaths are occurring in communities, underscoring the critical need for strict burial protocols and sufficient capacity for safe and dignified burials.

Partners – the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the DRC Red Cross and FHI 360 – are expanding safe and dignified burial teams in affected provinces to prevent further transmission and protect communities.

Together, partners will expand the response with 35 additional mobile safe and dignified burial teams and 286 community-based teams across the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and Tshopo, while extending coverage to Haut-Uélé and Bas-Uélé.

The scale-up is starting now and will continue over the coming months, involving more than 2,500 volunteers and civil protection personnel, as additional capacity is deployed where needed.

The mobile safe and dignified burial teams are able to respond rapidly to alerts and conduct burials – with community-based teams providing support on disease surveillance, community engagement and psychosocial assistance, while conducting safe and dignified burials when needed.

As of Tuesday, national authorities had reported 5,713 confirmed cases and 2,744 deaths, with nearly one in two people who contract the virus dying from the disease.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).

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