Chinese public health experts depart from Beijing for Uganda on July 15, 2026, to join the Joint Continental Incident Management Support Team. Photo: CCTV

Two experts selected by the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration (NDCPA) have joined a mission to Uganda to support the Joint Continental Incident Management Support Team (IMST) to respond to the Ebola outbreak, the Global Times learned from the administration on Wednesday.

At invitation of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), the medical team departed Beijing early on Wednesday morning for Uganda, according to CCTV News. Both experts have extensive hands-on experience responding to major infectious diseases as well as in international public health cooperation, per the report.

One researcher will be responsible for monitoring the epidemic situation, analyzing cross-border transmission risks and facilitating information sharing. The other researcher will participate in the expansion of testing networks and the rollout of pan-filovirus detection methods, with a focus on the operational performance of testing sites and the efficiency of sample transportation, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The two experts will adopt a "technical embedding" approach to integrate into the existing IMST framework. Together with specialists from the Africa CDC, the WHO and other countries, they will conduct data analysis, risk assessment and the formulation of technical recommendations, per Xinhua.

The WHO on May 17 determined that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda constituted a "public health emergency of international concern."

The IMST was jointly established by the Africa CDC and the WHO. The two organizations have invited international partners to send personnel to Uganda to join the IMST, where they will work with existing members as a team to advance response efforts across key areas, the NDCPA said.

The IMST will set up 14 working groups covering areas such as coordination and governance, risk communication, surveillance and cross-border preparedness, and laboratory testing to support the response, according to the administration.

Since the outbreak began in the DRC, China has sent two batches of China Medical Expert Teams in June and July to support the country's response to the Ebola outbreak. 

Until now, confirmed Ebola cases in the DRC have surpassed 2,000 as the WHO warned the true scale of the outbreak could be "at least two to four times" the reported caseload, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Wednesday.

As the outbreak also extends into Uganda, a Chinese medical team arrived in Uganda from July 8 to 11 after the anti-Ebola team concluded its anti-epidemic mission in the DRC, according to the China International Development Cooperation Agency on Wednesday.

The dispatch of NDCPA experts represents another concrete step by China to support Africa's response to the outbreak. The Chinese experts will actively contribute their technical expertise, strengthen cooperation with international counterparts and help African countries bring the outbreak under control as early as possible, the NDCPA said.

Relevant initiatives will contribute to safeguarding the health of the Chinese and African peoples, upholding global public health security, and advancing the building of a China-Africa community with a shared future, the administration told the Global Times in a release.