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| Credit CDC EOC Video |
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Although it will probably launch a hundred bombastic YouTube videos over the next few days, yesterday the CDC activated - at the lowest level (3) - their EOC for the ongoing Ebola outbreak in East-Central Africa.
The CDC has activated their EOC for a wide range of threats in the past, including Ebola (see CDC’s Response to the 2014–2016 Ebola Epidemic), for Zika in 2016 (see CDC Statement On Level 1 Activation Of Their EOC For Zika) and following the emergence of H7N9 in China in 2013 (see CIDRAP: CDC Activates Limited EOC On H7N9),By activating the EOC, emergency managers can better manage and coordinate emergency responses (see CDC Emergency Operations Center: How an EOC Works) - even for incidents that are taking place half a world away.
As previously mentioned, the latest activation is for Level 3, the lowest response level, as described below by the CDC:
Emergency Response Activation Levels
The EOC can be activated in response to natural or manmade disasters, disease outbreaks, and other public health emergencies. There are three different levels of activation, depending on the scale of the event.
- Level 3 is the lowest level of activation. CDC subject matter experts to lead the response with their program staff. EOC staff may also assist with the response.
- Level 2 involves a large number of staff from the relevant program area and from the EOC. Time-sensitive tasks and needs may extend beyond core business hours.
- Level 1 is the highest level, requiring a 24/7 agency-wide effort. To date, there have been four Level 1 responses: Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak, the 2014 Ebola outbreak, and the 2016 Zika virus response.
Last night the CDC released the following press release on the EOC's activation.
CDC Activates Emergency Operations Center for Ebola Outbreak in Eastern DRC
Press Release
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, June 12, 2019
Contact: Media Relations
(404) 639-3286
Today the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is announcing activation of its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) on Thursday, June 13, 2019, to support the inter-agency response to the current Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The DRC outbreak is the second largest outbreak of Ebola ever recorded and the largest outbreak in DRC’s history. The confirmation this week of three travel-associated cases in Uganda further emphasizes the ongoing threat of this outbreak. As part of the Administration’s whole-of-government effort, CDC subject matter experts are working with the USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) on the ground in the DRC and the American Embassy in Kinshasa to support the Congolese and international response. The CDC’s EOC staff will further enhance this effort.
CDC’s activation of the EOC at Level 3, the lowest level of activation, allows the agency to provide increased operational support for the response to meet the outbreak’s evolving challenges. CDC subject matter experts will continue to lead the CDC response with enhanced support from other CDC and EOC staff.
“We are activating the Emergency Operations Center at CDC headquarters to provide enhanced operational support to our expanded Ebola response team deployed in DRC,” said CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, M.D. “Through CDC’s command center we are consolidating our public health expertise and logistics planning for a longer term, sustained effort to bring this complex epidemic to an end.”
Since August 2018, CDC has been assisting the DRC government, along with the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa, the Department of State, countries bordering the outbreak area, the World Health Organization (WHO), and other local and international partners to respond to this outbreak. CDC has deployed staff with expertise in epidemiology, case management, infection control and prevention, laboratory science, border health, risk communication, community engagement, information technology, emergency management, and logistics to help with the response. Since September 2018, CDC has also been assisting the USAID-activated DART in the DRC that includes disaster and health experts from USAID and CDC. As of June 11, a total of 187 CDC staff have completed 278 deployments to the DRC, Uganda, and other neighboring countries, and WHO headquarters in Geneva.
The risk of global spread of Ebola remains low. Activation of the CDC EOC does not mean that the threat of Ebola to the United States has increased or that changes are being made to CDC’s outbreak-related guidance, such as advice to travelers to DRC or recommendations to organizations sending US-based healthcare or emergency response workers to outbreak-affected areas.
The outbreak in DRC is occurring in a region where there is armed conflict, outbreaks of violence, and other problems that complicate public health response activities and increase the risk of disease spread both within DRC and to neighboring countries. CDC remains committed to working with the ministries of health of DRC and neighboring countries, in collaboration with other international partners, to ensure the response to this outbreak is robust and well-coordinated to stop the spread of disease and end the outbreak.
