"The UK is acting fast to save lives and stop the spread."
Deployment to DRC
The UK Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST) is deploying 7 specialists to support the international response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the wider region.
- 4 specialists will be based in Eastern DRC, supporting WHO field operations in infection prevention and control, epidemiology, and risk communication and community engagement (RCCE).
- 1 RCCE specialist is being deployed to the WHO country office in Kinshasa.
- 1 epidemiologist is being deployed to the Republic of Congo to support the regional response.
- Remote support is being provided by a data modelling expert.
Renewal of Academic Partnership
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) announced the renewal and expansion of the academic partnership underpinning UK-PHRST, with continued funding from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and in partnership with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) will lead a new multi-institutional academic consortium. The £18 million, 5-year programme will conduct applied research across Africa and Southeast Asia, covering readiness, detection, and response phases of epidemic outbreaks.
Research priorities include equity and gender in outbreak response, mental health and psychosocial support, diagnostics, AI-assisted decision-making, and community engagement.
Background
UK-PHRST was developed following the 2014-2015 West Africa Ebola outbreak and is funded by DHSC's Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget. It works with low- and middle-income countries to respond and prepare for infectious disease outbreaks.
Over the last 9 years, UK-PHRST has conducted over 50 deployments involving over 100 people, including 10 deployments to Eastern DRC during the 2018-2019 North Kivu Ebola outbreak.
The UK has committed up to £21 million to support the government-led Ebola response in DRC. The risk to the public in the UK is considered very low.
Statements
Dr Edmund Newman, Director of UK-PHRST at UKHSA, stated that the deployment will strengthen the existing response and that collaborative work with WHO and other partners is vital for global health security.
Jenny Chapman, Minister for Africa and International Development, stated that the UK is acting fast to save lives and stop the spread, and that the UK-PHRST demonstrates commitment to global health security.