ABSTRACT
Filovirus Hemorrhagic Fevers: Origins, Features and Circumstances Filoviruses were initially discovered after an outbreak of hemorrhagic fever in Marburg, Germany in 1967. Subsequent occurrences of FHF involving humans have been reported mostly in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa,2 with the first community outbreak identified in 1976 near the banks of the Ebola river in Zaire (current Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC). Accordingly, the current nomenclature classifies filovirus isolates un-
der species belonging to two related but distinct genera: Ebolavirus and Marburgvirus. All strains are highly transmissible through blood or bodily fluids. Outbreaks in sub-Saharan Africa are classically associated with high case fatality ratios, which can reach 90 per cent, depending on the virus species involved. A hallmark of FHF is nosocomial transmission, leading characteristically to fatalities among health care personnel and additional disruption of the local health care system, especially during urban outbreaks (Formenty etal, 2005).
