ArticleBMC medicine2023
Performance of a safe and dignified burial intervention during an Ebola epidemic in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2018-2019.
Article in BMC medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement responses to viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks: A mixed-method evaluation of information management practices for Safe and Dignified Burials.Canada communicable disease report = Releve des maladies transmissibles au Canada · 2026Article
- Article
- Ebola virus disease: A persistent challenge in global health security.Open veterinary journal · 2026Review
- Epidemics, Ebola and the dignity of goodbye: how public health could respect culture.International journal of public health · 2026Article
- Characterizing population-level changes in human behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- 'Pretty devastating': exploring horse owner and veterinarian lived experiences of the equine Hendra virus.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundA protracted Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) epidemic in the eastern Ituri, North and South Kivu provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) caused 3470 confirmed and probable cases between July 2018 and April 2020. During the epidemic, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) supported the DRC Red Cross and other local actors to offer safe and dignified burials (SDB) for suspected and confirmed EVD cases, so as to reduce transmission associated with infectious dead bodies. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of the SDB service's performance in order to inform future applications of this intervention.
methodsWe analysed data on individual SDB responses to quantify performance based on key indicators and against pre-specified service standards. Specifically, we defined SDB timeliness as response within 24 h and success as all components of the service being implemented. Combining the database with other information sources, we also fit generalised linear mixed binomial models to explore factors associated with unsuccessful SDB.
resultsOut of 14,624 requests for SDB, 99% were responded to, 89% within 24 h. Overall, 61% of SDBs were successful, somewhat below target (80%), with failures clustered during a high-insecurity period. Factors associated with increased odds of unsuccessful SDB included reported community and/or family nonacceptance, insecurity and suspensions of the EVD response, low health facility coverage and high coverage of radio and telephony. Burials supported by mobile Civil Protection (local authorities) and/or static, community-based 'harm reduction' teams were associated with lower odds of failure.
conclusionsA large-scale, timely and moderately performant SDB service proved feasible during the challenging eastern DRC EVD response. Burial teams that are managed by community actors and operate locally, and supported rather than owned by the Red Cross or other humanitarian organisations, are a promising modality of delivering this pillar of EVD control.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.