Ebola is a rare but serious infectious disease that can cause bleeding in the body. The official name is Ebola virus disease, formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever. It is caused by the Ebola virus. So far, Ebola has only occurred in parts of Africa.

MERS is a disease caused by MERS-CoV, a coronavirus. People can become very ill from this disease. MERS stands for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. The disease only occurs in the Middle East (especially Saudi Arabia) and is rare even in that region.

Zoonoses are infections  that are naturally transmissible directly or indirectly between animals and humans. Domestic animals, farm animals, wild animals or rodents such as mice and rats, who may or may not be affected themselves, carry zoonotic diseases. 

Infectious diseases are diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungus. These microorganisms can infect humans and animals and, as a result, pose a threat to public health. The Centre for Infectious Disease Control of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) coordinates the response to infectious diseases within the Netherlands. This page explains how infectious disease control is organised in the Netherlands.