Latest medical team leaves China to fight DRC Ebola outbreak

China has dispatched its third team of medical specialists to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to assist with the response to the Ebola outbreak in the Central African country.

The five-member team consists of experts from the National Health Commission, the customs authority, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The team departed from Beijing early on Saturday.

They will participate in Ebola control efforts encompassing policy coordination, epidemic assessment, screening and testing, clinical treatment, and laboratory capacity building.

As of Tuesday, the DRC had 3,360 confirmed Ebola cases with 1,487 related deaths in the five affected provinces, according to the nation's health authority.

The World Health Organization said recently that the public health risk from the Ebola outbreak remains high in the DRC and neighboring countries, but that the global risk level remains low.

The National Health Commission said that the first two Chinese Ebola-fighting medical aid teams are working with local health departments in the DRC, as well as with international organizations operating in the country.

They have also provided disease control and treatment training for local hospitals, China-funded enterprises, and the overseas Chinese community, while strengthening scientific research cooperation.

In addition, China's 44 foreign medical aid teams that are deployed across 43 African countries have contributed to the broader Ebola response efforts.

Gao Jielei contributed to the story.