Ebola kills 3 Red Cross workers in the Congo, organization says

HealthWatch Ebola kills 3 Red Cross workers in the Congo, organization says .chip { background-image: url('/fly/bundles/cbsnewscore/images/chip-bgd/chip-bgd-healthwatch.jpg'); } May 23, 2026 / 8:54 AM EDT / CBS/AFP Add CBS News on Google The Red Cross announced on Saturday that three volunteers had died in the Democratic Republic of Congo after apparently contracting Ebola while on duty there in March.The central African country has been gripped by an outbreak of the deadly viral disease which the World Health Organization has declared an international public health emergency.The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said the volunteers were from the DR Congo Red Cross in Ituri, the northeastern province which is the outbreak's epicenter.They worked for the Mongbwalu branch of the organisation in Djugu territory, Ituri."Alikana Udumusi Augustin, Sezabo Katanabo and Ajiko Chandiru Viviane are believed to have contracted the Ebola virus on duty, while carrying out dead body management activities on March 27 as part of a humanitarian mission unrelated to Ebola," the IFRC said in a statement."At the time of the intervention, the community was not aware of the Ebola virus disease outbreak, and the outbreak had not yet been identified. They are among the first known victims of the outbreak." A patient prepares to have blood drawn for a test at General Referral Hospital of Mongbwalu during the Ebola outbreak response in Mongbwalu, Ituri province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on May 20, 2026. Michel Lunanga / Getty Images The IFRC said one had died on May 5 and the other two on May 15 and 16. "These volunteers lost their lives while serving their communities with courage and humanity," the Geneva-based IFRC said. "Their commitment reflects the extraordinary dedication shown every day by Red Cross volunteers working in complex and high-risk environments to support vulnerable people."The IFRC, which has more than 17 million volunteers in mo...