Lujo is a bisegmented RNA virus — a member of the family Arenaviridae — and a known cause of viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) in humans. Its name was suggested by the Special Pathogens Unit of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service (NICD-NHLS) by using the first two letters of the names of the cities involved in the 2008 outbreak of the disease, Lusaka (Zambia) and Johannesburg (Republic of South Africa). It is the second pathogenic arenavirus to be described from the African continent — the first being Lassa virus — and since 2012 has been classed as a "Select Agent" under U.S. law.