The UK Health Security Agency is deploying 7 UK Public Health Rapid Support Team specialists to support the Ebola outbreak response in the Democratic Republic of Congo and across the region from 16 June 2026.
The deployment includes specialists from UKHSA and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. They will support World Health Organization field operations, country office work and wider regional response activity.
UKHSA said the team is working with WHO and UNICEF following formal requests for assistance through the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network. The announcement also includes a renewed and expanded academic partnership supporting UK-PHRST’s wider outbreak preparedness work.
UK Specialists Deploy To Ebola Response
The UK Health Security Agency said the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team is being deployed to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and across the surrounding region. The team includes public health specialists with experience in epidemic response, including previous Ebola work in Eastern DRC.
UK-PHRST was developed after the 2014 to 2015 West Africa Ebola outbreak and is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care’s Official Development Assistance budget. UKHSA said the team works with low- and middle-income countries to respond to infectious disease outbreaks and public health emergencies.
- Deployment size: 7 specialists are being deployed from UKHSA and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
- Operational partners: WHO and UNICEF are involved through formal support requests made via GOARN.
- Previous experience: UK-PHRST carried out 10 deployments to Eastern DRC during the 2018 to 2019 North Kivu Ebola outbreak.
Deployment Supports Regional Preparedness
Four specialists will be based in Eastern DRC, supporting WHO field operations across infection prevention and control, epidemiology, risk communication and community engagement. A further risk communication and community engagement specialist is being deployed to the WHO country office in Kinshasa.
An epidemiologist is also being deployed to the Republic of Congo to support the wider regional response. UKHSA said additional support is being provided remotely by a data modelling expert.
UK-PHRST Ebola Deployment
| Indicator | Recent Movement | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern DRC | 4 specialists | UKHSA said they will support WHO field operations across infection prevention, epidemiology and community engagement. |
| Kinshasa | 1 specialist | UKHSA said a risk communication and community engagement specialist will support the WHO country office. |
| Republic of Congo | 1 epidemiologist | UKHSA said the deployment will support the wider regional response to the outbreak. |
| Remote support | 1 data modelling expert | UKHSA said additional technical support is being provided remotely as part of the response. |
UK-PHRST Role In Outbreak Response
UK-PHRST has supported more than 50 outbreak and emergency responses since its creation following the West Africa Ebola outbreak. UKHSA said the team has previously deployed to Eastern DRC during the North Kivu Ebola outbreak and is experienced in supporting international epidemic responses.
The current deployment is being delivered through coordination with WHO, UNICEF and the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network.
Research Partnership Renewed And Expanded
UKHSA, with continued funding from DHSC and in partnership with the National Institute for Health and Care Research, also announced the renewal and expansion of the academic partnership supporting UK-PHRST. The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine will lead a new multi-institutional academic consortium.
The partnership builds on nearly a decade of collaborative research between UKHSA and LSHTM since UK-PHRST was established in 2016. UKHSA said the expanded model brings together expertise in epidemic preparedness and response, with shared leadership between UK and low- and middle-income country institutions.
- Programme value: the renewed partnership is a £18 million 5-year programme.
- Research regions: applied research will cover Africa and Southeast Asia.
- Research areas: priorities include outbreak equity, mental health support, diagnostics, AI-assisted decision-making and community engagement.
UK-PHRST Partnership Renewal
| Indicator | Recent Movement | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Funding | £18 million | UKHSA said the programme will support 5 years of applied outbreak research. |
| Academic lead | LSHTM | UKHSA said the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine will lead the new consortium. |
| Research scope | Africa and Southeast Asia | UKHSA said work will span readiness, detection and response phases of epidemic outbreaks. |
| Government support | DHSC and NIHR | UKHSA said the renewal is backed by continued DHSC funding and NIHR partnership. |
UK Funding And International Coordination
The UK has committed up to £21 million to support the government-led Ebola response in DRC. The funding is intended to support a locally led response, including protection for frontline workers and vulnerable communities.
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 a high-level meeting on 16 June. The meeting will discuss regional preparedness and response.
Stakeholder Comments
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.”
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 the African-led response to this crisis.”
UK Public Risk Remains Very Low
UKHSA said it continues to monitor the Ebola outbreak closely. It also said the risk to the public in the UK remains very low.
The deployment and renewed research partnership place the immediate outbreak response alongside longer-term preparedness work. UKHSA said the wider programme is intended to support research, evidence and local leadership for faster and more effective responses to infectious disease threats.
UKHSA’s deployment places UK public health specialists into the Ebola response in DRC and the wider region, while the renewed UK-PHRST partnership extends longer-term research work. The announcement combines immediate field support, regional coordination and applied research funding. UKHSA said it is continuing to monitor the outbreak, with the risk to the UK public remaining very low.
Sources: UK Health Security Agency, Department of Health and Social Care, National Institute for Health and Care Research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Dr Edmund Newman, Jenny Chapman.
Prepared by Ivan Alexander Golden, Founder of THX News, an independent news organisation delivering timely insights from global official sources. Combines AI-analysed research with human-edited accuracy and context.
