Recently, researchers and conservationists have been paying more attention to infectious diseases, as one of the major threats for great ape survival, along with commercial hunting and habitat destruction and fragmentation by mechanized logging. Outbreak of epidemics such as ebola hemorrhagic fever has frequently occurred in recent years, causing catastrophic damage to chimpanzee and gorilla populations. Although less information is available for bonobos and orangutans, evidence from health evaluation suggests that they are also threatened by infectious diseases. A combination of target control, blocking tactics and reservoir control is needed for the prevention of disease transmission, as well as health monitoring. Inter-site, interdisciplinary cooperative efforts by great ape researchers, veterinarians, human medical scientists and anthropologists are essential for the execution of effective prevention measures. Since many infectious diseases of the great apes are anthropozoonotic, it must be remembered that the health of great apes and people in habitat countries are inextricably linked with each other.