Marburg virus disease, which produced 20 per cent mortality when it first occured during 1967 in Germany and Yugoslavia, recently appeared again in South Africa. The source of the first outbreak was monkeys shipped from Africa; the origin of the second episode is unclear. Because distribution of the virus in nature is unknown, its threat to man cannot be readily determined. Differential laboratory diagnoses of hemorrhagic fevers should be encouraged in order to learn more about the epidemiology of these diseases and to better assess the risks which their etiologic agents may pose for attending medical personnel.
马尔堡病毒病于1967年首次在德国和南斯拉夫出现时，死亡率为20%，最近又在南非出现。首次疫情的源头是从非洲运来的猴子；第二次疫情的起源尚不清楚。由于该病毒在自然界中的分布情况未知，其对人类的威胁难以轻易确定。应鼓励对出血热进行鉴别实验室诊断，以便更多地了解这些疾病的流行病学情况，并更好地评估其病原体可能给医护人员带来的风险。
