China Expands Medical Support to Congo as Ebola Cases Rise
According to reports, Chinese authorities will deploy medical experts and deliver aid aimed at helping local health officials contain the spread of the disease and support treatment efforts.
Addressing the situation, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said: “The Chinese government has decided to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to the DRC and in particular send medical expert teams for medical services and assistance.”
Expressing concern over the health emergency, Lin added: “We feel for the DRC over the latest outbreak of the Ebola,” noting that China has also been providing support to both the African Union Commission and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in their efforts to combat the virus.
Reports indicate that the current outbreak has resulted in at least 134 confirmed Ebola infections across the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring Uganda. Health authorities have also recorded 18 deaths among confirmed cases in the two countries.
According to reports, Congolese officials continue to identify new suspected infections. Since the outbreak was officially declared on May 15, more than 1,000 suspected cases have reportedly been registered.
The outbreak is linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus and is concentrated primarily in three eastern provinces of the DRC: Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu.
Highlighting China's ongoing medical engagement in Africa, Lin said: “As we speak, Chinese medical teams are on ground fighting the disease should to shoulder with African people.” He also noted that more than 45 Chinese medical teams have been deployed to African countries in recent years.
Separately, reports indicate that World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has called on governments to reconsider travel restrictions and border measures introduced in response to the outbreak.
Several countries, including Canada and the United States, have implemented travel-related restrictions and visa suspensions affecting residents of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan as a precautionary response to the Ebola situation.
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