WHO welcomes China's contribution of mobile laboratory to west africa against Ebola

GENEVA - The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday welcomed the commitment from the Chinese government to dispatch a mobile laboratory team to Sierra Leone.

The contribution came in response to WHO's appeal for further assistance to Ebola response efforts in Africa and requests by the government of Sierra Leone.

In addition to laboratory experts, the 59-person team from the Chinese Center for Disease Control will include epidemiologists, clinicians and nurses. They will support Ebola response efforts at the China-Sierra Leone Friendship Hospital, which was built in 2012 with assistance from the Chinese government.

"The most urgent immediate need in the Ebola response is for more medical staff," Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO said in a statement.

She added the newly announced team will join 115 Chinese medical staff on the ground in Sierra Leone virtually since the beginning, which is a huge boost, morally and operationally.

The WHO Ebola response roadmap, released on August 28, highlights the need for a massively scaled response to support affected countries. The commitment from the Chinese government exemplifies the kind of international effort required to intensify response activities and strengthen national capacities.

As of Sept. 16, the total number of cases attributed to Ebola virus disease in West Africa has reached 4,985, including 2,461 deaths.