A German medical student who returned from a trip to Rwanda and suddenly complained of flu-like symptoms sparked a major operation by authorities in Hamburg on Wednesday. The young man traveled with his girlfriend from Frankfurt airport to Hamburg on an ICE train. While still on the train, the 26-year-old contacted a doctor because he feared he had been infected with the life-threatening Marburg virus. His partner also felt ill.
According to media reports, the medical student stated that he worked at a hospital in Rwanda, which also treated patients infected with the Marburg virus. A large number of fire and rescue teams were immediately deployed and the platform where the ICE train from Frankfurt stopped was closed. The couple was taken in a special vehicle to the University Hospital Eppendorf, where they are now being examined and treated in isolation from other patients.
Everything clear on Thursday: tests negative
As a precaution, the contact details of train passengers who may have had contact with the sick people have been registered. However, the health authority has not yet issued any further quarantine measures. The platform and train were disinfected.
Everything was clear on Thursday morning: the suspicion of the Marburg virus has not been confirmed. The corresponding tests were negative.
The Marburg virus is that dangerous
The Marburg virus can cause high so-called hemorrhagic fever and symptoms such as muscle pain, abdominal cramps, diarrhea and bloody vomit. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 24 to 88 percent of those affected have died in previous outbreaks. People become infected through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, such as blood, and not through the air. Transmission via direct and close contact with the skin or mucous membranes is also possible. The incubation period is two to 21 days.
The latest outbreak in Rwanda has claimed eleven lives so far
Rwanda is currently experiencing an outbreak of the virus. As the East African country’s Ministry of Health announced on Platform It is currently unknown where the outbreak originated and when it occurred. Rwanda is one of the smallest countries in Africa, but very densely populated.
Source: Krone
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