Since the first case of Ebola was confirmed in 1976 in southern Sudan (now South Sudan), Africa, there have been more than 30 outbreaks (mass infection) of the disease until March 2019. In recent years, many infected cases were confirmed in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and other areas of West Africa from 2014 to 2016.

Highly fatal Ebola hemorrhagic fever is transmitted through contact with the sweat, excrement, or blood of an infected person, and is most infectious just before the infected person dies. Touching a corpse is therefore a dangerous practice that increases the risk of infection.
Until then, there was a custom in West Africa that during the burial of the dead, family members would wash the body and attendants would also touch the body. While conducting funerals for their relatives without knowledge of the Ebola virus, the possibility of new infections among their family members and acquaintances was greatly increased. According to experts from the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 20% of new Ebola infections are thought to be caused by this traditional burial practice.

Local staff risked their lives to dispose of the bodies.

The people who engage in this dangerous work in Liberia, are mainly students and other young men who have come forward to do it “for the sake of their community. Friday, a burial team leader for the Liberian Red Cross, is one of them.
"Someone has to collect the bodies from the villages and roadsides to prevent new outbreaks. We always explain the situation to the families, and we collect and bury the bodies with their consent."
Despite initial apprehension, each worker has undergone 120 hours of training, wears heavy protective clothing, and works as a team to ensure each other's safety.
"My wife and I have six children, and we put our lives on the line to do this work. My family and I fully understand the significance of this work, and we follow all safety procedures to protect ourselves and our community.”

Precise information and knowledge can save lives.

Meanwhile, in Sierra Leone, neighboring to Liberia, there is a silver lining. In the jungle village of Lufrancha, more than 90 kilometers from the capital Freetown, there have been no cases of infection. Villagers testify that the Red Cross has contributed greatly to this.

”Since the cholera epidemic in 2012, Red Cross volunteers have distributed water purifiers and installed wells and latrines. When Ebola broke out, the Red Cross gave us the correct information and we followed their instructions so there was no Ebola outbreak in our village.”
By having volunteers of the same tribe, language, and culture going to villages that were inaccessible by car or motorcycle and could only be reached on foot, and by being able to communicate directly with the villagers, they were able to gain their acceptance and prevent the spread of Ebola.