Three Red Cross Volunteers Die from Ebola in DRC

(MENAFN) Three Red Cross volunteers have died of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ituri province, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) confirmed Saturday — marking the first recorded fatalities of the current outbreak.

The IFRC said it was "deeply saddened" by the deaths of the three volunteers, identified as Ajiko Chandiru Viviane, Sezabo Katanabo, and Alikana Udumusi Augustin. They died between May 5 and 16 at the Mongbwalu branch in Djugu Territory, "while serving their communities with courage and humanity. "

The volunteers are believed to have contracted the virus while handling corpses during a humanitarian mission with no known Ebola connection. "At the time of the intervention, the community was not aware of the Ebola virus disease outbreak, and the outbreak had not yet been identified. They are among the first known victims of the outbreak," the IFRC said.

The IFRC, the Congo Red Cross, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reaffirmed their commitment to supporting affected populations as the epidemic widens.

Congo's cases have surged since a formal outbreak declaration on May 15 in Ituri province, which has since spread to North Kivu and South Kivu. The World Health Organization (WHO) recorded approximately 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths, with at least 82 confirmed cases and seven confirmed fatalities nationwide.

Uganda reported three new Congo-linked cases Saturday, bringing its confirmed total to five since the outbreak began, according to the Health Ministry. Congo's government separately announced the temporary suspension of commercial, private, and charter flights to and from Bunia in Ituri province in a bid to halt transmission.

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