China sends third medical expert team to DRC for Ebola response

China's third medical expert team for the Ebola response arrived in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on Saturday to support the country's efforts to strengthen its defenses against the epidemic.

Luku Maleyo Marius, a representative of the DRC Health Ministry, welcomed the team at the airport.

He said the Ebola situation in the DRC remained severe and response efforts continued to face considerable pressure. The arrival of the Chinese experts would provide strong support for epidemic surveillance, patient treatment and laboratory testing, he said.

The DRC stands ready to further strengthen cooperation with China and jointly enhance its epidemic response capacity, he added.

Yang Xiaochen, head of the third expert team, said the team would build on the work of the previous two teams, continue providing technical assistance based on practical response needs and deepen exchanges and cooperation with the DRC's health authorities and relevant international partners.

The team would contribute Chinese expertise to efforts to bring the current Ebola outbreak to an early end, Yang said.

Previous teams worked alongside Congolese health authorities and international partners, providing training in Ebola prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the DRC has become the largest ever recorded in the country, surpassing the 2018-2020 epidemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday.

(China's third medical expert team leaves for the DR Congo for Ebola response, China, August 1, 2026. /VCG)