The Ebola virus, which inspired the fictional Motaba virus in the movie Outbreak, was first identified in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The first major outbreak of the Ebola virus occurred in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo), causing significant fatalities and raising global awareness of viral hemorrhagic fevers.
The movie Outbreak was released, depicting a fictional viral outbreak and the efforts to contain it, reflecting contemporary concerns about emerging infectious diseases.