Abstract:

Ebola virus (EBOV) and Marburg virus (MARV). Members of the Filoviridae virus family, are known as emerging and re-emerging zoonotic pathogens causing acute hemorrhagic fever with high case-fatality rate in human (up to 90%) (1).

Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF) was first reported in 1976 during the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formally Zaire), and the virus is named after the Ebola River where it was discovered. Since then, 21 additional Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreaks among human have occurred in the tropical regions of sub-Sharan Africa. The largest one to date took place in the Gulu District of Uganda in 2000-2001 caused by Sudan virus (SUDV). This outbreak resulted in 425 cases, of which 216 were laboratory confirmed, and the overall case fatality rate was 53% (20. The Ebola strain that is now circulating in West Africa bears shows the homology of 97% with Zaire Ebola virus samples found in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon(2). Historically, this strin has caused the highest mortality (90%), while the current estimate of case fatality rate is less than 60% (3).

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