Concept

Filovirus

RNA virus family including Ebola and Marburg; subject of WHO R&D Blueprint roadmap published March 2026.

Last refreshed: 7 May 2026

Key Question

Is the WHO Filovirus roadmap a credible plan to develop Ebola and Marburg vaccines before the next outbreak?

Timeline for Filovirus

#131 Mar

Mentioned in: WHO publishes three Q1 pathogen-family roadmaps

Pandemics and Biosecurity

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Common Questions

What diseases do filoviruses cause?: Filoviruses cause Ebola virus disease and Marburg virus disease, among the deadliest known infections with case-fatality rates of 25-90% in major outbreaks.
Is there a vaccine for Marburg virus?: As of early 2026, no Marburg vaccine has been licensed. Ebola vaccines (rVSV-ZEBOV and Ad26.ZEBOV) exist and are stockpiled, but Marburg readiness remains a gap addressed by the WHO R&D Blueprint Filovirus roadmap.Source: WHO R&D Blueprint
What did WHO publish about Ebola and Marburg prevention in 2026?: The WHO R&D Blueprint published a Filovirus medical countermeasure roadmap on 3 March 2026 covering vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics for the whole family. Public consultation remains open through late May.Source: WHO R&D Blueprint

Background

Filoviruses are a family of negative-sense, single-stranded RNA viruses responsible for some of the highest case-fatality infections known to medicine. The family includes Ebola virus (with multiple species, including Zaire, Sudan, Bundibugyo, Tai Forest, and Reston) and Marburg virus. Ebola Zaire has recorded case-fatality rates of 25 to 90% in major outbreaks; Marburg typically runs at 20 to 90% depending on outbreak conditions. Filoviruses are believed to maintain bat reservoir hosts, with spillover to humans via direct contact with infected animals or human-to-human transmission through contact with bodily fluids. Both Ebola and Marburg are classified as WHO R&D Blueprint priority pathogens and as US CDC Category A bioterrorism agents due to their potential for mass casualties.

The WHO R&D Blueprint published its Filovirus medical countermeasure roadmap on 3 March 2026, the first of three pathogen-family roadmaps released in Q1 2026. The roadmap addresses vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics for the full family, covering both Ebola and Marburg. Public consultation remains open through late May 2026, giving researchers and national health agencies a formal channel to input into countermeasure prioritisation. The roadmap sits alongside existing licensed and stockpiled Ebola vaccines (rVSV-ZEBOV and Ad26.ZEBOV) but Marburg remains without a licensed vaccine as of early 2026, making the Blueprint's prioritisation of the whole family significant for the gap between Ebola progress and Marburg readiness.

Source Material

WHO R&D Blueprint — Filovirus Roadmap Filoviridae

How the World Sees Them

Research funders

CEPI and Wellcome have both invested in filovirus countermeasures; the Blueprint roadmap provides a coordination framework to reduce duplication and sequence investment by platform.

Central and West Africa

Ebola and Marburg outbreaks have repeatedly struck the DRC, Guinea, Uganda, and Equatorial Guinea; the WHO roadmap is welcomed but communities in endemic areas note that licensed Ebola vaccines still do not reach every outbreak zone.

Global biosecurity community

Filoviruses are on the US CDC Category A list for bioterrorism potential; their high fatality rates and lack of licensed Marburg therapeutics make them a persistent preparedness gap.