Both diseases are rare and have the capacity to cause outbreaks with high fatality rates. Though caused by different viruses, the two diseases are clinically similar. Marburg and Ebola viruses are both members of the Filoviridae family (filovirus). Marburg virus disease was initially detected in 1967 after simultaneous outbreaks in Marburg and Frankfurt in Germany and in Belgrade, Serbia. Marburg virus is the causative agent of Marburg virus disease (MVD), a disease with a case fatality ratio of up to 88%, but can be much lower with good patient care.
