Filoviruses are a group of zoonotic pathogens, members of the Filoviridae family, which cause severe, often fatal illness in humans. This family includes medically important pathogens such as Ebola virus (EBOV-formerly Zaire), Marburg virus (MARV), Sudan virus (SUDV), and Bundibugyo virus (BDBV).

Ebola virus (EBOV) first appeared in 1976 in two simultaneous outbreaks, one in what is now, Nzara, South Sudan, and the other in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The latter occurred in a village near the Ebola River, from which the disease takes its name. Marburg virus (MARV) was first identified during an outbreak in 1967, when laboratory workers in Marburg and Frankfurt, Germany and Belgrade, Yugoslavia (what is now Serbia) were infected with a previously unknown infectious agent. Sudan virus (SUDV) was first reported in southern Sudan in June 1976. Since then, the virus has emerged periodically and up to now seven outbreaks caused by SUDV have been reported in central Africa. Bundibugyo virus (BDBV) was first identified in 2007 when a viral hemorrhagic fever outbreak began in the Bundibugyo and Kikyo townships of Bundibugyo District in western Uganda. Three outbreaks have been reported so far, in 2007–2008, 2012 and 2026. The 2026 BDBV outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with cross-border spread to Uganda is the largest recorded to date.

Since they were first recognized, these filoviruses have caused regular disease outbreaks in Africa, each affecting limited numbers of people. However, the 2014–2016 outbreak in West Africa, the largest and most complex Ebola outbreak ever with over 11 000 deaths, demonstrated that filoviruses represent a very serious public health threat.

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