This chapter is concerned primarily with situations where there are large numbers of deaths following a disaster, requiring organized services for handling the dead. Dead or decayed human bodies do not generally create a serious health hazard, unless they are polluting sources of drinking-water with faecal matter, or are infected with plague or typhus, in which case they may be infested with the fleas or lice that spread these diseases.

Considering these factors, PAHO’s Area on Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief has developed this manual as a tool to be used by national and local authorities and professionals from public institutions that are affected by this issue. This manual provides the technical information that will support the correct approach to handling dead bodies, taking into account the following principles:

Given the widespread interest in the topic of management of dead bodies, PAHO/WHO, the ICRC and a broad group of global experts have collaborated to produce practical decision-making guidelines on this delicate and difficult task. These frequently-asked questions are an example of the kind of information contained in a new publication on the subject, which should be ready by April 2006. Watch this web site for more news.

There is no direct risk of contagion or infectious disease from being near human remains for people who are not directly involved in recovery or other efforts that require handling dead bodies. Individuals in affected areas should instead exercise caution to avoid well documented threats to health and safety, such as injury hazards from sharp debris and from unidentified structural damage to buildings, power lines, roads, and industrial facilities.

The Pan American Health Organization has developed a checklist on mass fatalities that can serve as an annex to any National Health Sector Emergency Management Plan or National Disaster Management Plan. It is based on the London Resilience Mass Fatality Plan, 2006 and Management of Dead Bodies after Disasters: A Field Manual for First Responders.