# Red Cross volunteers die from Ebola while serving in Ituri province, Congo
*Event date: 2026-05-23*
Three Red Cross volunteers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have died after likely contracting Ebola while carrying out humanitarian work in Ituri province, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The volunteers were based with the Congo Red Cross in Mongbwalu, in Djugu territory, and are described by the organization as among the first known victims of the outbreak.
The IFRC said the workers became ill in March while carrying out dead-body management activities as part of a humanitarian mission unrelated to Ebola. It said the community was not yet aware that an Ebola outbreak was underway at the time of the intervention. The three volunteers were identified as Alikana Udumusi Augustin, Sezabo Katanabo and Ajiko Chandiru Viviane. They died on May 5, May 15 and May 16.
The deaths underline the danger facing frontline health and humanitarian workers during outbreaks that have not yet been fully recognised. Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids and can cause severe bleeding and organ failure. In this case, the Red Cross said the volunteers were working in an area that would later become central to the outbreak response. Their deaths therefore sit at the intersection of public health and humanitarian service.
The outbreak is also affecting neighbouring Uganda, where authorities confirmed new cases and where the World Health Organization has declared an international public health emergency. The WHO said the outbreak in Congo had produced 82 confirmed cases and seven confirmed deaths, alongside a much larger number of suspected cases and deaths. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention expanded the list of high-risk countries, reflecting concern about the outbreak’s regional spread.
For the IFRC, the deaths are a reminder that its volunteers often work in complex and high-risk settings. The organization said the three men and women lost their lives while serving their communities with courage and humanity, and said it remained committed to helping affected communities and supporting response efforts.
The Congo outbreak is especially worrying because the strain involved is Bundibugyo ebolavirus, which the WHO described as rarer and lacking approved vaccines or treatments. That leaves public-health teams dependent on surveillance, isolation and contact tracing. In the meantime, the loss of three volunteers highlights a painful reality of outbreak response: the people trying to protect others may themselves be among the first to be exposed.
