Congo Suspends Funeral Wakes and Big Gatherings in Ebola Outbreak, as WHO Upgrades Risk Assessment
Ituri ordered burials by specialized teams and capped gatherings at 50 as unsafe funeral practices helped spread Ebola, officials said.
- On Friday, Ituri's provincial government banned funeral wakes and limited public gatherings to 50 people, ordering that burials be conducted only by specialized teams to contain the Ebola outbreak.
- The rare Bundibugyo strain, which lacks a vaccine, spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids, particularly during traditional burial rites when mourners touch infected bodies without protective equipment.
- On Thursday, youths set fire to an Ebola treatment center in Rwampara after authorities blocked them from retrieving a body, illustrating the conflict between medical protocols and local customs.
- The World Health Organization raised the risk assessment for Congo to "very high," citing 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths, while the United Nations released $60 million for response efforts.
- Ongoing armed conflict complicates aid delivery across the region, while Rwanda restricted entry for foreign nationals who recently visited the Democratic Republic of Congo to prevent further spread.
59 Articles
59 Articles
Congo province bans funeral wakes to contain Ebola’s spread
BUNIA - The eastern Democratic Republic of Congo province most affected by the country’s Ebola outbreak banned funeral wakes on Friday, a day after residents clashed with police while trying to recover the body of a victim.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has upgraded the risk of further spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo to "very high". This week, the level was "high" for both Congo and Uganda. In Uganda, the risk level has remained unchanged. Globally, the risk of spread remains low, according to the organization. Ban on mourning gatherings The province of Ituri in eastern Congo has been hit hardest by the outbreak. The province has imposed a…
Congo Limits Funerals During Ebola Outbreak
Authorities in northeastern Congo banned funeral wakes and gatherings of more 50 people on Friday in an effort to curb a rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak in a region where medical workers have struggled with a lack of resources and pushback from angry residents. The World Health Organization said that the...
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Congo curtails funeral wakes in Ebola outbreak as WHO upgrades risk assessment
BUNIA, Congo — Authorities in northeastern Congo banned funeral wakes and gatherings of more than 50 people Friday in an effort to curb a rapidly...
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