NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 2 — China has deployed a specialized medical expert team to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to support efforts to contain the ongoing Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain, as international partners intensify assistance to the Central African nation.The team, “specially dispatched” by the Chinese government, departed Beijing on Tuesday and is expected to work alongside Congolese health authorities and international agencies on the front lines of the outbreak response.Announcing the deployment, Du Xiaohui, Director-General of the Department of African Affairs at China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the mission reflects Beijing’s longstanding commitment to supporting African countries during public health emergencies.“In the early hours of today[Tuesday], a medical expert group specially dispatched by the Chinese Government to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) departed from Beijing,” Du said.“The team will stand side by side with the African people on the front lines of the fight against Ebola.”He noted that China had also provided emergency humanitarian assistance to the DRC and pledged continued support based on the evolving needs of the outbreak response.“China will continue to offer assistance within its capacity, responding flexibly to the evolving Ebola situation and the needs of African countries,” he said.Du highlighted China’s history of supporting Ebola response efforts across Africa, including during major outbreaks in 2014, 2015 and 2018.“Over the 70 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and African countries, our partnership has always been defined by mutual support and solidarity,” he said.“The Chinese and African peoples are good brothers and sisters who stand together through thick and thin and share weal and woe. I sincerely wish the African people an early victory over the Bundibugyo Ebola virus.”The Chinese deployment comes as global health agencies and regional organizations scale up support for the DRC, where authorities are working to contain the outbreak in the eastern province of Ituri.World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Tuesday praised the Congolese government’s leadership in responding to the outbreak and called for greater international solidarity.Speaking after briefing diplomats in Kinshasa, Tedros said he had recently visited Ituri, the province most affected by the outbreak, and witnessed ongoing efforts to strengthen surveillance, infection prevention and patient care.He said WHO has supported the establishment of an Ebola treatment centre inaugurated on Sunday and urged countries not to impose travel restrictions on the DRC.“Solidarity is our strongest immunity against this outbreak,” he said.Tedros also reported encouraging progress in the response.“I have two pieces of good news: the recovery of the first five Ebola patients and the construction of a 60-bed treatment center in Bunia,” he said following a meeting with Congolese authorities on Monday.The WHO chief noted that the DRC’s extensive experience in managing Ebola outbreaks has been critical to the response. The country has confronted 17 Ebola outbreaks since 1976, building internationally recognized expertise in disease surveillance, treatment and outbreak management.To bolster containment efforts, WHO has deployed 15 epidemiologists, trained 100 frontline health workers in disease surveillance and alert management, and distributed 20,000 surveillance tools to strengthen case detection and contact tracing. Additional laboratory supplies have also been provided to accelerate testing and diagnosis.Meanwhile, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention announced that it had delivered 2.5 tonnes of essential medical supplies and 4,800 rapid diagnostic test kits to support the Ebola response in the DRC.The supplies were handed over to the country’s health ministry to strengthen early detection, interrupt transmission chains and improve patient care.“Frontline health workers remain at the heart of this response, and their protection is a top priority,” Africa CDC said in a statement on Monday.The continental health agency reaffirmed its commitment to supporting African Union member states in responding rapidly and effectively to disease outbreaks across the continent.The latest international assistance underscores growing global efforts to help the DRC contain the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak before it spreads further, with health authorities emphasizing that early detection, coordinated action and sustained international support remain critical to bringing the epidemic under control.