Dear Colleagues, 

Ebola and Marburg virus diseases are severe haemorrhagic fevers in people and non-human primates (NHP) with a high case-fatality rate. 

Ebola virus disease (EVD) is caused by an infection with the following four viruses within the genus Ebolavirus: Ebola virus (species Zaire ebolavirus), Sudan virus (species Sudan ebolavirus), Taï Forest virus (species Taï Forest ebolavirus) and Bundibugyo virus (species Bundibugyo ebolavirus). Marburg virus disease (MVD) is caused by the Marburg virus, a member of the filovirus family, which also includes the viruses responsible for EVD. Viruses circulate in wildlife. The reservoir host of Marburg virus is the African fruit bat, but the virus has also been isolated in other bat species. Bats are also likely to be the host reservoir of Ebola virus, although this has not been confirmed. 

Both diseases are rare but can cause deadly outbreaks, which in particular settings, such as countries with weak health infrastructure or areas of conflict, can remain uncontrolled for months or years, claiming many lives. The largest outbreak of EVD was caused by Zaire ebolavirus and occurred in West Africa between 2014 and 2016, with over 28,000 cases and 11,000 deaths. The largest outbreak of MVD occurred in Angola in 2004–2005 and resulted in more than 350 cases and 300 deaths. An Ebola outbreak due to Sudan ebolavirus is currently ongoing in Uganda and has caused more than 100 cases and 50 deaths.  

Large outbreaks have devastating consequences on the affected populations, which go beyond the lives lost due to the disease itself and also include the lives lost to other diseases that are neglected during outbreaks and substantial socio-economic costs. 

Due to climate and environmental change with increasing interactions between humans and wildlife hosts, EVD and MVD outbreaks could become more frequent. It is, therefore, extremely important to develop and reinforce prevention and control strategies in at-risk countries in order to limit the extent of current and future outbreaks. 

Vaccines play a key role in the response to epidemic threats and have been an important part of the response to EVD outbreaks due to Zaire ebolavirus since the 2014–16 West African outbreak. However, there are remaining questions about the use of vaccines during and outside the outbreaks. There are also no licensed vaccines against Sudan and Marburg virus, although several candidates are under development. 

This Special Issue aims to collect recent scientific knowledge and advances in vaccination against Ebola and Marburg virus diseases. We are interested in a broad area of research, including clinical trials, vaccine roll-out strategies, mathematical modelling, NHP studies and literature reviews, which can inform future vaccination strategies against EVD and MVD.

Dr. Daniela Manno
Guest Editor

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• Ebola virus
• Marburg virus
• vaccines
• clinical trials
• mathematical modelling
• literature reviews
• epidemiological studies
• animal studies