 Chapter 3 – Health and Safety All dead bodies should be handled with safety and respect. Following a disaster, there is often fear or reporting that dead bodies will cause epidemics. This is a myth. Generally, dead bodies do not cause epidemics after disasters due to natural hazards, where the victims die from injury, drowning or fire. However, there are of course some risks to body handlers and the general public following a disaster. Dead bodies that are the result of highly infectious diseases like Ebola, cholera or Lassa fever, or of disasters where diseases are endemic carry some risk, as coming into contact with infected body fluids from the dead can infect others. Taking safety precautions like basic hygiene and the appropriate use of personal protection equipment or PPE, using body bags, field bags or culturally appropriate shrouds and the cleaning of facilities and vehicles can reduce this risk. The environment itself can also be hazardous. It's important to know when it's safe to enter an environment and when it should be avoided. Finally, body handling can be a difficult emotional experience to endure. Psychosocial support and debriefings should be in place for body handlers, as it's an exhausting job and many responders also face stigma in the communities. As always, the bottom line is to prioritize the safety of the living and treat the dead with care and respect.