The history of Marburg – The Marburg virus was first recognised in 1967 during two simultaneous outbreaks in Marburg and Frankfurt, Germany, and Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia). The outbreaks were linked to African green monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops) imported from Uganda. 31 cases were reported at the time, with 7 deaths (23% case fatality rate).
Previous Outbreaks
They include accidents in laboratories and research.
1975: An outbreak in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and Johannesburg, South Africa, with 3 human cases and 1 fatality.
1980: An outbreak in Kenya with 2 human cases and 1 fatality.
1987: A single case of Marburg virus disease was reported in Kenya.
1988: A laboratory accident occurred in the Soviet Union (now Russia), resulting in 1 human case and 1 fatality.
2004-2005: Outbreak in Angola
2007: Outbreak in Uganda
2009: Clinical trials of Ebola and Marburg vaccine begin in Uganda
2012: Outbreak in Uganda
2014: Outbreak in Uganda
2017: Outbreak in Uganda
2021: Outbreak in Guinea
2022: Outbreaks in Ghana and Equatorial Guinea
2023: Outbreaks in Tanzania and Rwanda
This virus causes severe viral haemorrhagic fever in humans.
Marburg is a member of the Filoviridae family (filovirus), along with Ebola. Though caused by different viruses, the two diseases are clinically similar. Both diseases are rare and have the capacity to cause outbreaks with high fatality rates.