The Red Cross' Dead Body Management teams faces risks every day due to the dangers of moving the bodies of the casualties of the ebola virus outbreak in Africa, and also from the ire of family members who want to honor their deceased with burial traditions that often put them at risk of contracting the virus themselves.

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The ebola virus remains contagious even after the patient is deceased.  All bodily fluids are infectuous upto three days after death, so great care must be taken when moving the bodies and each one carries a tremendous risk of spreading the virus to the handlers and anyone who touches the body. 

The bodies and the beds where the patient layed have to be cleaned thoroughly with disinfectant to kill the highy infectuous virus and sealed in two layers of plastic body bags. 

The Dead Body Management Team must wear three layers of gloves when handling the bodies.  After each one is moved they must also strip down and spray themselves with bleach or chlorine and put on a fresh gown and set of gloves.  

They must also take greater care than normal not to drop the body or accidentally tear the plastic on any jagged edges as they make their way out of the isolation wards and onto moving trucks.

In addition to the job of moving the bodies, they must also ensure that the remains are dealt with properly so that the risk of spreading the outbreak more is eliminated. 

Instead of allowing family members to follow their burial traditions of touching and even kissing their deceased loved ones before burial, the bodies must be brought directly  to designated burial sites with rows of graves ready to recieve the bodies when the team arrives.

Although they risk the anger and distrust of family members who want to mourn their loved ones with their traditions, the saftey of the family and the community must be put first so the Dead Body Management Team must cremate or bury the dead properly.

When the bodies are buried six feet beneath the earth, the danger of the virus spreading to the community is removed and the family can mourn their deceased without the risk of becoming casualties themselves of the most deadly ebola virus outbreak in history.

TagsAfrica, Red Cross, Dead Body Management Team, Ebola outbreak