Mongbwalu, Democratic Republic of Congo — The continued spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is closely linked to practices surrounding the handling and burial of those who have died from the virus, officials and observers say. Despite established protocols designed to prevent transmission, customary funeral rites and lapses in safety measures pose ongoing challenges in containing the outbreak.

On June 19, in the gold-mining town of Mongbwalu, the body of Innocent Mandro Likpa, 56, who had died of Ebola the previous day, was transported for burial in his home village of Nzebi. The coffin, carried on a motorcycle rickshaw, briefly opened when it hit a bump on a dirt road, exposing the remains during the journey. This incident underscored the risks associated with handling infectious corpses outside controlled environments.

Health workers initially appeared to follow World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines by showing the body to family members at the hospital before sealing and disinfecting the coffin. Allowing families to view the remains is seen as a way to build trust amid widespread distrust and hostility toward health officials. However, further precautions were not consistently observed during the burial ceremony.

At the village, mourners swarmed the coffin, touching and caressing it despite the risk of contagion. The body was placed in a courtyard for a church service, where a mosquito net barrier was erected around the coffin. Afterward, the funeral procession moved through the village, joining with another carrying the body of Sida Dime, 25, who had also died from Ebola. The two were buried in adjacent graves, with mourners emotionally engaged during the rites. Some attendees, including one of Mr. Likpa’s daughters, became overwhelmed during the service.

Following the burial, a communal meal was served where the coffin had earlier rested, increasing potential exposure to the virus. WHO officials warn that all funeral participants are considered high-risk contacts and require 21 days of monitoring.

Dr. Marie Roseleine Belizaire, a senior WHO official in Africa, emphasized the danger posed by unsafe and non-dignified burials, noting that “community death has always been a new chain of infection” in past outbreaks. She stressed that improper handling of bodies creates difficult-to-manage transmission pathways.

The DRC health ministry reported more than 1,800 confirmed Ebola cases and 648 deaths in the current outbreak. Despite the scale of the crisis, many burials observed in Mongbwalu during the preceding days were conducted without formal Red Cross involvement—a vital component of outbreak control. The Congolese Red Cross president, Dr. Serge Lemy Tahby, affirmed that his teams are adequately equipped but did not offer explanations for reported lapses.

In one scene at the Mongbwalu hospital, miners carried a suspected Ebola patient on a makeshift stretcher before being instructed about the virus’s risks by health workers. Meanwhile, hospital staff carefully managed bodies in accordance with WHO protocols, utilizing protective equipment such as gloves, gowns, masks, and face shields, which were disinfected and hung to dry.

While infection control measures are in place at medical facilities, the intersection of cultural practices, limited resources, and community trust issues continues to complicate Ebola containment efforts in the DRC’s affected regions.