The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is deploying public health specialists from the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST) to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and across the region.
Developed following the 2014 to 2015 West Africa Ebola outbreak and funded by the Department of Health and Social Care's Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget, UK-PHRST works with low- and middle-income countries to respond and prepare for infectious disease outbreaks and public health emergencies. UK-PHRST brings extensive experience to the current response, including 10 deployments to Eastern DRC during the 2018 to 2019 North Kivu Ebola outbreak - part of more than 50 deployments involving over 100 people in the last 9 years.
As a key international partner in epidemic disease response, the team is now deploying 7 specialists from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) to support the international response to the outbreak:
- 4 will be based in Eastern DRC, supporting World Health Organization (WHO) field operations across infection prevention and control, epidemiology, and risk communication and community engagement (RCCE)
- a further RCCE specialist is being deployed to the WHO country office in Kinshasa
- an epidemiologist is being deployed to the Republic of Congo to support the wider regional response
- additional support is being provided remotely by a data modelling expert
UK-PHRST has worked closely with WHO and UNICEF, offering support in response to the formal requests for assistance through the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN).
Today, UKHSA together 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) also announced the renewal and expansion of the academic partnership underpinning the UK-PHRST more broadly.
The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine will lead a new multi-institutional academic consortium, building on nearly a decade of collaborative research between UKHSA and LSHTM since the UK-PHRST was established in 2016. The expanded partnership brings together world-leading expertise in epidemic preparedness and response, with a central commitment to shared leadership between UK and low- and middle-income country (LMIC) institutions.
The £18million 5-year programme will conduct applied research across Africa and Southeast Asia, spanning the 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. Amid an increasing risk of epidemic threats, this renewal highlights the UK government's commitment to global health security.
Dr Edmund Newman, Director of the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team at UKHSA, said:
This deployment will help strengthen the existing response to the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and across the region, with experts in epidemiology, risk communications and community engagement, infection prevention and control and data modelling now on the ground to support.
We know infectious diseases are not restricted by borders, which is why it's vital we continue to work collaboratively with the World Health Organization and other international partners, as well as national and local response organisations, to protect global health security.
Amid uncertainty in the global landscape, we're really pleased to announce the renewal and expansion of the UK-PHRST partnership with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, which allows us to continue sustainably sharing knowledge and support internationally, delivering cutting edge research and evidence to help prevent outbreaks >from becoming global health emergencies.
Jenny Chapman, Minister for Africa and International Development, said:
Ebola is a devastating disease, and this latest outbreak is deeply concerning. The UK is acting fast, working with regional partners to save lives and stop the spread.
The UK Public Health Rapid Support Team brings world-class expertise, from infection control to community engagement and modelling the data. It demonstrates our commitment to global health security, and supporting the4 African-led response to this crisis.
We are investing in the research, evidence and local leadership needed to respond faster and more effectively to this deadly disease.
The UK has committed up to £21 million to support the government-led Ebola response in DRC to support a locally led response, helping to protect frontline workers and vulnerable communities.
Today (16 June) the Minister for Africa and International Development will join African leaders, the WHO Director-General, the Africa Centres for Disease Prevention Director-General and others at their high level meeting to discuss regional preparedness and response.
UKHSA continues to monitor the Ebola outbreak closely. The risk to the public in the UK remains very low.
