Description:

Ebola Virus Disease and Marburg Virus Disease are severe, often fatal, viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) that can be transmitted via direct contact with blood or other bodily fluids. Viral shedding continues even after death and this persistent transmissibility from bodies of the deceased poses an additional layer of complexity for outbreak control. As the global trend in incidence of outbreaks appears to be increasing, VHFs pose an evolving threat to global health security. Following the 2014-2016 outbreak in West Africa, the Canadian Red Cross (CRC) and the wider Red Cross Red Crescent (RCRC) Movement took on leadership roles in the development and coordination of Safe and Dignified Burials (SDBs). Since then, SDBs have become a key pillar of VHF outbreak responses. This symposium brings together academic and practitioner perspectives to share how lessons from past VHF outbreaks are shaping preparedness for more agile, community-centered responses to future outbreaks.

Explore the risks to global health security posed by VHFs. Reflect on the impacts of initial missteps in addressing cultural expectations for dying during the 2014-16 outbreak in West Africa. Articulate the evolution of SDB interventions and the importance of preparedness in the RCRC Movement. Describe how the CRC is preparing for the next pandemic by advancing adaptations to SDB implementation methods.

Presentation #1: The epidemiology of VHFs and evolving risks to global health security. Presentation #2: Considering cultural expectations of dying during the 2014-2016 outbreak in West Africa. Presentation #3: Learning from early experiences with SDBs and preparedness training of RCRC National Societies. Presentation #4: Recent experiences with VHF outbreak control and novel adaptations to SDB Implementation Methods. Presentations will be followed by a roundtable discussion and Q&A from the audience

VHFs are evolving threats to global health security, demanding sustained vigilance and preparedness. Early neglect of cultural expectations around death during the 2015 West Africa outbreak highlighted the need for culturally responsive interventions. SDB interventions have evolved through hard-earned lessons, becoming a cornerstone of community-centered outbreak response. The RCRC Movement continues to build pandemic preparedness by advancing adaptations to SDB implementation methods.