US CDC raises Ebola outbreak response to highest level

The U.S. CDC raised its response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo to its highest level on Friday, but said the risk of the disease spreading in the United States remained low. The move, reserved for the most severe health crises, signals growing concern over the rare strain's rapid spread.



The outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola has infected over 1,200 people in Congo, including 321 deaths, and 20 cases in neighboring Uganda, reaching the highest first-month total of any episode of the disease, the World Health Organization said this week.



The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raised its emergency activation to Level 1, its most severe designation, which is reserved for critical emergencies and assigns the largest number of staff possible to work the response.