China’s Northeastern province of Jilin will send a disease control expert to the Republic of Sierra Leone, the worst Ebola-affected country in West Africa, to assist with public health and disease control training, the provincial national health and family planning commission said on Wednesday, January 21.

The commission said Deng Liquan, an expert from Jilin provincial center for disease control and prevention, along with 15 other experts nationwide, will provide technical assistance in prevention and control of the Ebola virus, and will also help raise the locals’ awareness of disease control.

It is the first time that Jilin is offering assistance to foreign countries in response to the epidemic, according to the provincial commission.

The office also said the West African nations are still in urgent need of material support and expertise, as the epidemic has yet to be controlled.