Ebola

American  

[ee-boh-luh, ih-boh-] / iˈboʊ lə, ɪˈboʊ- /

noun

1. Also called Ebola fever;.  Also called Ebola virus disease.  Also called Ebola hemorrhagic fever.  a usually fatal disease, a type of hemorrhagic fever, caused by the Ebola virus and marked by high fever, severe gastrointestinal distress, and bleeding.

2. Ebola virus.

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Ebola Cultural  

1. A highly lethal virus that causes massive internal hemorrhaging. It is thought that the virus originated in central Africa and was passed to humans from primates.

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This virus has been responsible for a greatly increased interest in and vigilance over new, exotic infectious diseases that are at risk of spreading rapidly, given the nature of modern jet transportation and bioterrorism (see also bioterrorism).

Etymology

Origin of Ebola

After Ebola River, Democratic Republic of the Congo, near which an outbreak of the disease occurred in 1976

Example Sentences

The US CDC on Friday urged strong public health interventions against the current Ebola outbreak, citing their models that show it could otherwise rival the scale of the 2014 West Africa outbreak.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

Only about 45% of people in direct contact with an Ebola patient are currently being followed up, partly because the epicentre of the latest outbreak is in an area hit by conflict.

From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026

Satish Pillai, the CDC manager for the Ebola response, said "the total individuals that are infected and requiring isolation remains unclear."

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

The latest Ebola figures from the Democratic Republic of Congo appear to offer some hope after the number of cases was dramatically scaled back.

From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026

Dalgard was extremely dismayed and couldn’t rule out the possibility that the man was breaking with Ebola.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston