Improving Burial Practices and Cemetery Management During an Ebola Virus Disease Epidemic — Sierra Leone, 2014 Carrie F. Nielsen, PhD, Sarah Kidd, MD, Ansumana R.M. Sillah, PhD, MD, et al. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2015;64(Early Release):1-8

Contact with the bodies and fluids of persons who have died of Ebola virus disease (Ebola) is especially common in West Africa, where family and community members often touch and wash the body of the deceased in preparation for funerals. These cultural practices have been a route of Ebola transmission. In September 2014, CDC, in collaboration with the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation, assessed burial practices, cemetery management, and adherence to recommended practices to reduce the risk for Ebola virus transmission.

Contact with the bodies and fluids of persons who have died of Ebola virus disease (Ebola) is especially common in West Africa, for families and those other tasked with disposal of the dead. This paper provides a useful insight of practical and social risks, and places disposal of the dead alongside healthcare waste disposal.