Over the past decades, several infectious diseases have been causing epidemics. In the recent past, one such epidemic that led to a major catastrophe was the Ebola fever. It has been the most virulent and fatal outbreak the world has observed with fatality rates as high as 70%-90%.

The disease first emerged in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo and is known to cause several outbreaks. The virus is named after the Ebola river located in the northern Democratic Republic of Congo.