Three volunteers working for the Red Cross in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have died from suspected cases of Ebola in Ituri Province, the epicentre of the Ebola outbreak in the country, the organisation said on Saturday.
In a statement, the Red Cross said volunteers Alikana Udumusi Augustin, Sezabo Katanabo and Ajiko Chandiru Viviane were believed to have contracted the Ebola virus while managing dead bodies during a mission unrelated to Ebola.
"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," the statement reads.
"These volunteers lost their lives while serving their communities with courage and humanity," it added.
The volunteers were among the first named victims of the epidemic, which is being driven by the rare Bundibugyo virus.
Responding to the news of their deaths, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, said the volunteers had "paid the ultimate price on the line of duty".
"Early identification of cases and timely treatment save lives and are key to bringing this outbreak under control," Ghebreyesus wrote on X. "Safe and dignified burials are also critical to stop Ebola transmission."
In an update on the outbreak on Friday, Ghebreyesus said 82 cases of Ebola had so far been confirmed in the DRC, with seven confirmed deaths.
But he said the scale of the epidemic in the country was likely "much larger," with around 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths.
The DRC's Ministry of Communication and Media put the number of suspected deaths at 204 as of Friday.
The outbreak has also spread into neighbouring Uganda, which reported a further three confirmed cases of Ebola on Saturday, bringing the number of people who have tested positive in the East African nation to five, per the WHO.
The WHO raised its public health risk from the Ebola outbreak from "high" to "very high" in the DRC earlier this week. It said the global risk remained low.
Ebola is a severe and deadly illness first identified in 1976. Symptoms can include fever, weakness, diarrhoea and vomiting.
