The UN migration agency warned on Friday that transporting the bodies of Ebola victims to their home communities for burial across the Democratic Republic of Congo could further spread the virus.
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The Ebola virus remains highly infectious after death, making safe burial practices crucial to containing outbreaks.
"If we don't really manage the dead bodies well, if we don't engage the community ... then it means there will be more spread within the community," said Andrew Mbala from the International Organization for Migration, as cited by Reuters.
According to the IOM, the movement of bodies between districts in the Democratic Republic of Congo poses a significant challenge, with families often choosing to bury loved ones in their home communities.
"There hasn't been any crossing of dead bodies to another country, but we have seen a lot of crossings of dead bodies within the country," Mbala said.
If bodies are not handled safely, transporting them could introduce the virus to previously unaffected areas.
More than 2,000 Ebola cases and over 700 deaths have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring Uganda as of July 14, IOM said.
Around two-thirds of the deaths occurred outside clinics or hospitals, raising concerns over community transmission.
Since the outbreak was declared in May, several health facilities have come under attack by angry crowds, echoing the violence seen during the 2018–2020 Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, when more than 25 health workers were killed.
The deteriorating security situation has also sparked protests and threats of strikes by health workers, who say their wages do not reflect the heavy workload, risks and psychological stress they face while responding to the outbreak.
