Dealing with the dead

In West Africa, many people contracted the virus as a result of traditional burial rites, by kissing, washing or touching the corpse. It is vital to remain at a distance of at least one meter away from the corpse of an Ebola victim.

Mattresses, clothes and other items handled by the Ebola patient should be burned to prevent the virus from spreading.

Burials must be conducted by trained professionals. In Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the Red Cross has trained specialized teams which can be called in via the Ebola hotline. They provide plastic body bags to replace traditional wooden coffins for the corpse to be buried or cremated in. Although safe handling of human remains is crucial, the dead are also treated with respect, and health workers have also been trained in "dignified burials" in the Christian and Muslim context.