When investigating the village in Zaire, several huts are burned down. This is the traditional tribal method for controlling the spread of an infection in many parts of the world. Food and water are left outside the entrance to the dwelling, and the occupants cannot leave. If several days (usually three or four) of these supplies are not used, then the dwelling is burned down to stop the infection from spreading.
The film was inspired by real-life events covered in the book "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston, Jr.
While in Zaire, Jim, one of the attendants, captures one of the monkeys by throwing a net over him. To accomplish this scene, the monkey was trained to be caught in the net. In fact, he was taught that the net was part of a game so had no fear of it.
(At around twenty-six minutes) In the film, it is said that "Motaba" was more deadly than the "Ebola" virus. Then they show a picture of the "Motaba" virus. The virus shown in the photograph is in actuality a strain of Ebola.
The movie gained a resurgence of popularity in March of 2020 with the outbreak of coronavirus and subsequent pandemic. That month, it entered the Netflix Top 10 most watched movies list, despite being nearly 25 years old.