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"Infection
Control for Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers In the African Health Care Setting"
Section
7. Use Safe Burial Practices
This
section describes how to:
- Prepare bodies
of deceased VHF patients.
- Transport the
body safely to the burial site.
- Disinfect the
vehicle after transporting bodies.
There
is risk of transmission in the health facility when a VHF patient dies
because the bodies and body fluids of deceased VHF patients remain contagious
for several days after death. Family and community members are also at
risk if burial practices involve touching and washing the body.
| 7.1
Prepare the Body Safely |
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Burial
should take place as soon as possible after the body is prepared in the
health facility. Health facility staff should:
- Prepare the body
safely.
- Be aware of the
family's cultural practices and religious beliefs. Help the family understand
why some practices cannot be done because they place the family or others
at risk for exposure.
- Counsel the family
about why special steps need to be taken to protect the family and community
from illness. If the body is prepared without giving information and
support to the family and the community, they may not want to bring
other family members to the health facility in the future. They may
think that if the patient dies, the body will not be returned to them.
- Identify a family
member who has influence with the rest of the family and who can make
sure family members avoid dangerous practices such as washing or touching
the body.
To prepare
the body in the health facility:
- Wear protective
clothing as recommended for staff in the patient isolation area. Use
thick rubber gloves as the second pair (or outer layer) of gloves.
- Spray the body
and the area around it with 1:10 bleach solution.
- Place the body
in a "body bag" (mortuary sack) and close it securely. Spray
the body bag with 1:10 bleach solution.
- If body bags are
not available, wrap the body in two thickness of cotton cloth and soak
with 1:10 bleach solution. Then wrap the body in plastic sheeting. Seal
the wrapping with plastic tape. Spray the body bag as in Step 3. Place
the body in a coffin if one is available.
- Transport the
body to the burial site as soon as possible. Assign a health officer
or health facility staff person to accompany the body to ensure that
the safety precautions remain secure during the journey.
Note:
All staff who are likely to handle infectious material should know and
use VHF Isolation Precautions. Reinforce with all health facility staff
the importance of handling infectious waste safely.
| 7.2
Transport the Body Safely |
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VHF
Isolation Precautions should remain in force when the body is being transported
to the burial site.
- Plan to take the
shortest route possible for security purposes and to limit any possibility
of disease transmission through accidental contact.
- Any health facility
staff who must touch or carry the body during transport should wear
the same protective clothing as is worn in the isolation area. Note:
The driver does not need to wear protective clothing if there is no
contact with the body.
- Take a closed
container or sprayer with 1:10 bleach solution in the event of any accidental
contact with the body or infectious body fluids. Also use it to clean
up spills in the transport vehicle.
| 7.3
Prepare Burial Site |
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- The grave should
be at least 2 meters deep.
- Explain to the
family that viewing the body is not possible. Help them to understand
the reason for limiting the burial ceremony to family only.
| 7.4
Disinfect the Vehicle after Transporting the Body |
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- The staff person
who disinfects the vehicle must wear protective clothing.
- Rinse the interior
of the vehicle where the body was carried with 1:10 bleach solution.
- Let it soak for
10 minutes.
- Rinse well with
clean water and let the vehicle air-dry. Be sure to rinse well because
the solution is corrosive to the vehicle.
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Fig.
58. Disinfecting the vehicle after
transporting the body |
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| Infection
Control For VHFs Manual |
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