Red Cross loses three heroes to Congo's Ebola

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) announced from Geneva on Saturday the loss of three of its heroic volunteers in the battle against the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, stressing that they are among the first victims of this deadly outbreak. According to the organization's statement, the three volunteers were infected on March 27 during their handling of the bodies, in the context of their response to another humanitarian emergency before the spread of the virus was detected in District. These heroes died on the 5th, 15th and 16th of May. The organization confirmed that these volunteers "lost their lives while serving their communities with courage and humanity," noting that the first Ebola cases were not laboratory-confirmed until May 15, ten days after the death of the first volunteers. The late detection of the outbreak was due to its association with a rare strain of Ebola virus known as Bundibugyo, causing the failure of standardized tests at the outset. On May 17, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern. The latest statistics indicate that there are about 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths associated with the outbreak in the Congo, with warnings of rapidly rising numbers, especially since the virus is transmitted through direct contact with body fluids and bodies remain infected for several days.