•a severe and often fatal disease in humans and nonhuman primates (monkeys and chimpanzees) caused by the Ebola virus; characterized by high fever and severe internal bleeding; can be spread from person to person; is largely limited to Africa
Named after the river, which flowed near the first outbreak of Ebola that was first identified as Ebola. Reports conflict about who initially coined the name: either Karl Johnson of the American Centers for Disease Control or Belgian researchers.