The Democratic Republic of Congo announced an immediate ban on mass gatherings yesterday, as a fresh outbreak of Ebola virus disease emerged in the country's northeastern region. This comes amid fears of a repeat of the 2018-2020 epidemic that claimed over 2,200 lives. The World Health Organization confirmed the strain is the same Zaire species, for which a vaccine exists but logistical challenges remain.
Within hours, a British rapid response team from the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST) was deployed, landing in Goma at first light. No.10’s spokesperson said the team includes epidemiologists, lab technicians, and logistics specialists.
They will work alongside local health workers and the WHO. A source in the Foreign Office told me privately: 'This is a test of the system. We can’t afford a repeat of 2014.
The optics of another African Ebola crisis while we’re still battling COVID would be catastrophic.' The ban on gatherings includes markets, churches, and funeral rites – a political minefield in a country where community trust in authorities is fragile. The health minister in Kinshasa described it as 'a necessary evil'.
But local MPs in the affected zone say it will drive transmission underground. One told me: 'People will hide symptoms. They know what happened last time.
They fear the hazmat suits more than the virus.' The UK team has set up a field hospital outside Beni, the epicentre of the previous outbreak. Their mandate: trace contacts, isolate suspects, and begin vaccinations.
But the politics are tricky. The DR Congo is in the midst of a prolonged political transition, with President Tshisekedi fighting a fragile coalition. A health crisis could break it.
The UN has already warned of funding shortfalls. Britain’s deployment is partly a PR move – to show global leadership post-Brexit. But the jungle logistics are brutal.
Roads are impassable. Armed groups control the borderlands. One British medic told me: 'It’s like walking into a war zone with a microscope.
' The real game here is trust. Without it, the outbreak will spread. And British taxpayers will be left funding another endless containment operation.
The lobby is asking: is this a one-off intervention or a new foreign policy doctrine? No.10 isn’t answering.
But the bets are on: this is a test run for a post-COVID world where pandemics are the new normal. Keep your eyes on Beni.
