in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). With over 2,000 confirmed cases, the outbreak is the second largest ever recorded.
It recently spread to neighboring Uganda, by a family who crossed the border from the DRC.
As of June 11, 187 CDC staff have completed 278 deployments to the DRC, Uganda, and other neighboring countries, as well as to the World Health Organization in Geneva.
“We are activating the Emergency Operations Center at CDC headquarters to provide enhanced operational support to our” Ebola response team in the Congo. The level 3 activation – the lowest level – “allows the agency to provide increased operational support” and “logistics planning for a longer term, sustained effort,” CDC said in a press release.
Activation “does not mean that the threat of Ebola to the United States has increased.” The risk of global spread remains low, CDC said.
The outbreak is occurring in an area of armed conflict and other problems that complicate public health efforts and increase the risk of disease spread.