Before the outbreak of ebola In West Africa, dead bodies are usually given a befitting burial using the traditional system (rectangular hole about 6-8 feet deep, 2-4 feet wide). During the peak of the outbreak in Liberia, dead bodies were burn as a process of disposal. In Sierra Leone all dead bodies have been buried by dressing them as demanded by law and tradition. I am concern about the negative impact of these two methods of disposing dead bodies of victims of the dreadful disease ebola. What are some of the short term and long impacts of these practices on:
1. Agriculture (food supply and safety).
2. Health status of people residing close to cemeteries or burning sites.
Hey Sheku this is my two pence take on your question: I guess you may want to look at the future health implications of the current ebola burial method in West Africa right.Unlike the US, the recommended method of burying Ebola deceased in places like West Africa with no incinerator burial equipment is by wrapping the corpse in a high density polythene (HDPE) bag. The heat in these HDPEs accelerate the rate of decomposition. And as long as the corpse is within these HDPEs it is a safe method even after decomposition would have taken place. And because the duration of the oxo-biodegradation of the polymer material of these HDPEs often takes a very long time to be completed by the time they are biodegraded the ebola virus would have ceased to exist therein. Virus only become living organism when found within a living host.
The best method of disposal of any infectious material including the dead body of patient from Ebola, is incineration. In several countries, incinerator is used for the disposal of dead bodies of patients died of infectious diseases.
Take a look at the following links.
https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0005491&type=printable
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4709130/pdf/PAMJ-SUPP-22-1-09.pdf
I agree with Mahendra Pal. I was in Sierra Leone in 2016 helping them with issues related disinfection. One of their biggest problems was family members taking their deceased relatives for the bathing ritual. I was difficult to explain how that should never be done. Burning the bodies was not acceptable for them.
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