**5. Management of dead bodies**

The number of deaths in most healthcare emergencies can significantly increase. Management of dead bodies has to be considered from a cultural point view as different cultures view dead bodies in differently. Burial has to be done by the relatives of the deceased, but it can be dangerous in cases of death from an infectious disease that is transmitted by casual contact. Most cultural practices involve dressing dead bodies, and this can significantly lead to an increased transmission of diseases like Ebola (and other viral hemorrhagic fevers). Communities need to be educated on the dangers of handling dead bodies in these type of healthcare emergencies. There might need to train

workers at morgues on how to handle dead bodies in cases of disease outbreaks. During the Ebola outbreak management of dead bodies became a significant source of spread and this management of dead bodies was taken over by health care professional up to burial. Traditional practices like body viewing were not practiced and the dead bodies were taken to the burial sites with minimal delay and no gatherings.

In case of natural disasters like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and floods were there are mass deaths the need to identify the dead bodies before burial becomes a critical step. This has the potential of overwhelming mortuaries as pathology services are not usually decentralized in most countries. The delays in DNA analysis in most settings is due to a limited number of laboratories that offer this high specialty service. Culturally close families prefer to bury their families after accurate identification.
