The Democratic Republic of Congo said late on Sunday that confirmed Ebola cases in the country had reached 1,274, including 360 deaths. US health authorities on Friday activated the highest level of response to the Ebola outbreak in Congo, while announcing the shipment of experimental treatments to the region. "Our assessment (is) that the risk to the United States continues to remain low," said Satish Pillai, who is leading the Ebola response at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The leading US public health agency nevertheless announced a Level 1 response -- the highest level -- as it did for the worst-ever Ebola epidemic in 2014. The heightened response level is an "internal cue" indicating that the outbreak is a top priority for the agency, a CDC official said. "We will mobilize staffing and additional resources as efficiently and rapidly as possible," he added.
