Note: This article was originally published at AmericanThinker.com
Anyone who’s read the news over the last decade or so has probably heard of Ebola. Also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, it’s a viral disease that appears not uncommonly in African countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. This time, a rare strain known as Bundibugyo has appeared in Congo and sickened, so far, 1,000 people, with 220 succumbing.
Given the serious nature of the disease, you would think the native peoples of the region would do everything possible to stop contagion. That, however, is not the case. In fact, at least three treatment centers in Congo have been attacked and burned by the locals.
As Ebola is spread by bodily fluids, close contact is highly likely to lead to infection of relatives. This is the case even with dead bodies. The body is infectious for at least several days. Here’s where the local funeral practices have led to conflict with authorities: It’s imperative, culturally, for family members to take possession of the body to honor the deceased relative. You might not be surprised that the experts say this is not the best policy
Traditionally, funerals last up to several days. During this time, community elders or loved ones (often older women) tend to the body in their own homes, washing them and dressing them in their finest clothes. Sometimes, they will even sleep next to the corpse as it lies in state. The idea is to receive elements of the spirit of the departed person.
As you can imagine, contact with a highly contagious corpse is risky business. In the 2014 epidemic, transmission of the virus to family members of deceased individuals accounted for 80 percent of new cases in Sierra Leone and a majority of cases in Guinea. Slowing the spread of Ebola requires, therefore, persuading families to change funeral practices or risk deadly contagion.
Hospitals are holding briefings with the family as to what the process is when a person dies of Ebola, but customs are difficult to change. Programs to explain the elements of a safe burial often meet with resistance, even hostility, due to appearing irreverent.
One obstacle that government burial teams encountered was that the body was placed inside a black bag. Without seeing the body, family members doubted the identity of the person being buried. New bags now have a transparent area where the face of the loved one can be seen.
A people’s culture is ingrained over generations, which means that controlling the spread of Ebola may be difficult. Modern medicine’s efforts to change burial practices in Ebola’s backyard may yet meet with success; if so, the likelihood of an outbreak will be much lower.
Joe Alton MD
P.S. The Trump administration is building a quarantine and treatment center in Kenya for Americans exposed to Ebola while visiting Ebola areas in Africa — a contrast to past outbreaks, where Americans would be brought to the U.S. for treatment in specialized units.
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