Transport of dead bodies within Congo risks further Ebola spread, UN agency warns
By Olivia Le PoidevinReuters
Red Cross workers wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) walk in a formation as they disinfect the house of an unidentified man who died of Ebola, before retrieving his body, as aid agencies intensify efforts to contain a new Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain, in Quartier Shuni 1, a residential sector in Mongbwalu, Djugu Territory of Ituri province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, May 24, 2026. REUTERS/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere
Gradel Muyisa Mumbere
Reuters
GENEVA - The transport of Ebola victims' bodies between different areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo, often for funerals in their home communities, risks further spreading the virus, the U.N. migration agency said on Friday.
More than 2,000 Ebola cases and 700 deaths have been recorded in Congo and neighbouring Uganda as of July 14, and around two-thirds of the deaths occurred outside clinics or hospitals, said the International Organization for Migration.
The often fatal viral disease spreads 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 epidemic is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.
Ebola remains highly infectious after death, making funeral practices a critical component of outbreak control.
"If we don't really manage the dead bodies well, if we don't engage the community ... then it means there will be more spread within the community," said Andrew Mbala from IOM.
IOM officials said the transport of bodies across districts within Congo was a particular challenge as families seek to bury relatives in their home communities.
"There hasn't been any crossing of dead bodies to another country, but we have seen a lot of crossings of dead bodies within the country," said Mbala.
Such movement risks carrying the virus into new areas if bodies are not handled safely, the IOM warned.
(Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin, Editing by Miranda Murray, Alexandra Hudson)
People of the Kigonze displaced persons camp lower a coffin during a funeral of a person who is suspected to have died from Ebola, at Nyamurongo Cemetery, one month after an Ebola outbreak was declared, in Bunia, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, June 18, 2026. REUTERS/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere Gradel Muyisa Mumbere Reuters
FILE PHOTO: A health worker in personal protective equipment stands near displaced people waiting for the burial of suspected Ebola victims at the Kigonze displaced persons camp, one month after an outbreak was declared, in Bunia, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, June 18, 2026. REUTERS/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere/File Photo Gradel Muyisa Mumbere Reuters
Congolese carpenters Moise and Patrick, assemble a coffin due to high demand following Ebola suspected deaths, as aid agencies intensify efforts to contain a new Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain, in Mongbwalu, Djugu Territory of Ituri province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, June 4, 2026. REUTERS/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere Gradel Muyisa Mumbere Reuters
Red Cross workers wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) walk in a formation as they disinfect the house of an unidentified man who died of Ebola, before retrieving his body, as aid agencies intensify efforts to contain a new Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain, in Quartier Shuni 1, a residential sector in Mongbwalu, Djugu Territory of Ituri province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, May 24, 2026. REUTERS/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere Gradel Muyisa Mumbere Reuters
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This story was originally published July 17, 2026 at 6:47 AM.
