Explore the recorded discovery and history of Ebola viruses, with source links and stated limits.
WHO describes Ebola disease as a rare but severe and often fatal illness caused by viruses of the Orthoebolavirus genus. Six species have been identified, of which three — Ebola virus, Sudan virus and Bundibugyo virus — cause large outbreaks. CDC states these viruses are found primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. This profile covers the group rather than a single virus.
WHO records that Ebola disease first occurred in 1976 in two simultaneous outbreaks: Sudan virus disease in Nzara, in what is now South Sudan, and Ebola virus disease in Yambuku, in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Yambuku outbreak was in a village near the Ebola River, from which the disease takes its name.
CDC records that Taï Forest virus is a rarer cause of disease and has only been known to infect one person, in Côte d'Ivoire in 1994.
Bundibugyo virus, the most recently discovered orthoebolavirus, was identified in 2007 and has been associated with two large outbreaks, one in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and one on the DRC–Uganda border.
The 2014–2016 outbreak in West Africa, caused by Ebola virus, is the largest Ebola disease outbreak recorded, with more than 28,600 cases reported.
The 1976 records describe the first recognised outbreaks, not the first human infection. CDC states these viruses emerge periodically from an animal reservoir that has not been identified, so no origin or patient zero is assigned here.
Source check: 2026-09-19. Educational content; independent scientific review remains pending.