Three Red Cross Volunteers Dead After Contracting Ebola During Congo Mission

Three Red Cross volunteers are dead after contracting Ebola during a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo back in March — and they're now believed to be among the very first victims of this outbreak. Here's the gut-punch part: they weren't even there for Ebola. They were carrying out dead body management activities on March 27 as part of a completely unrelated mission — and at the time, nobody in the community knew an Ebola outbreak was underway.

The three volunteers were Alikana Udumusi Augustin, Sezabo Katanabo, and Ajiko Chandiru Viviane. Viviane died on May 5, Katanabo on May 15, and Augustin on May 16. All three were from the DR Congo Red Cross in Ituri, a northeastern province that is the outbreak's epicenter, working out of the Mongbwalu branch in Djugu territory.

Think about what that means — these people showed up to help their community, had no idea they were walking into an active Ebola zone, and paid for it with their lives. "These volunteers lost their lives while serving their communities with courage and humanity," the IFRC said.

Now zoom out, because this story is bigger than three people. There are already 82 confirmed cases and seven confirmed deaths in Congo, with almost 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths, according to the WHO. And the outbreak is moving. As of last Thursday, Uganda had two confirmed cases. By Sunday, that number had jumped to five — including a Ugandan driver who transported the country's first confirmed patient, a health worker who cared for that patient, and a Congolese woman who crossed the border with mild symptoms.

Making things harder: the strain involved — called Bundibugyo virus — is rarer and has no approved vaccine or treatments. The WHO has pointed to late detection, the absence of a vaccine, widespread armed violence, and high population mobility as factors making Congo especially vulnerable.

Ebola was likely spreading for weeks — if not months — before health authorities caught it. That late detection will severely complicate the response going forward.

What does this mean for you, if you're sitting in the U.S.? The CDC issued an order on May 18 barring entry to foreign nationals who were in Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan within 21 days of arrival to the U.S. American citizens and permanent residents who traveled to those countries must enter through Washington-Dulles or Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta airports for enhanced public health screening. As of now, there are no suspected or confirmed U.S. cases from this outbreak. But one American surgeon who contracted Ebola while working in Congo was taken to Germany earlier this week for treatment. This isn't theoretical — it's already crossing borders.