Created in 2016, the UK Public Health Rapid Response Team (UK-PHRST) is funded by UK Aid from the Department of Health and Social Care and is jointly run by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). The University of Oxford is an academic partner. UK-PHRST’s integrated tripartite remit includes outbreak response, research and capacity building, with the following specific objectives:
- Rapidly investigate and respond to disease outbreaks at their source in LMICs eligible for UK Official Development Assistance, with the aim of stopping a public health threat from becoming a broader health emergency
- Conduct research to generate an evidence base for best practice in epidemic preparedness and response
- Build capacity for improved national response to disease outbreaks in LMICs
The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the National Health Service, the National Institute for Health Research or the Department of Health and Social Care. 
UK-PHRST Deployments, 2017 -2020
COVID-19 Response Find out how the UK-PHRST has been responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Case Studies Read some of our stories on how the UK-PHRST successfully help to combat outbreaks and protect countries against future threats to health, working alongside in-country staff from Minstries of Health, NGOs and other government organisations in LMICs.
Blogs Have your say! View some of our blog posts by the UK-PHRST staff and post your comments. You can also share your own experiences on outbreak response, research and capacity development by writing a new blog post.
UK-PHRST Publications Read the latest evidence based research, insights and opinions by UK-PHRST staff and colleagues.