Congo’s Ebola burial teams battle community anger, fatigue and fear of infection

The burial of a young chorister in Bunia highlights the ongoing Ebola crisis in Congo BUNIA, Congo -- Yuma Adolphe and his team are responsible for the safe and dignified burial of some of the people who die from Ebola in Ituri, the epicenter of history's deadliest Ebola outbreak. Nearly every day, they dig the graves, prepare the bodies and handle the coffins. But as the authorities grapple with the outbreak, which has killed nearly 3,200 people among more than 6,500 cases, the burial team says they are at their limits, struggling with an increasing workload and hostile communities.

Since the outbreak began in mid-May, authorities have deployed small burial teams like Adolphe's across the hot spots to handle the burials. Paid $20 a day, they are a part of a group of front-line workers who are working to contain the rapidly moving disease. Despite the toll, the burial team members say the priority is to keep their community safe.

Health workers exclusively handle the bodies as Ebola spreads as a result of direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of infected people. Experts say bodies of victims still contain considerable amounts of active virus and can spread infections further. Since May, health workers and burial teams such as Adolphe's have been attacked by bereaved families across the front line of the outbreak.

They are deprived of certain rituals, and that’s what leads to misunderstandings.” Jeanne Alasha, adviser to the military governor of Ituri on health and humanitarian affairs, said that “as for those who continue to assault the teams, they are committing offenses punishable by law.” Ituri province, where the outbreak is concentrated, is also at the center of the rebel conflict in eastern Congo. The province is under a military government appointed by federal civilian authorities in Kinshasa. Shortly before noon last Friday, Justine Habineno, a 36-year-old chorister, was buried in Congo’s Ituri province.

Habineno had died of Ebola. She had only complained of slight headaches before heading to a hospital and was diagnosed with Ebola, her mother said. A catechist presided over the ceremony attended by dozens of people, as a team of specialist burial team members in scrubs and boots stood by.

Habineno's mother, Sofia Wanito, said that the doctors only allowed her to see the body through the window of the hospital ward, and she wasn't allowed to touch the coffin. I could not even cover her with the sheets myself and pay a final tribute,” Wanito said. The Ebola outbreak is spreading across six provinces in eastern Congo in some of the most difficult conditions imaginable, fueled by rebel violence, displacement and intense population movements.