A train station platform in Hamburg, Germany was cordoned off amid fears that the deadly and incurable Marburg Virus had reached Europe. The virus has infected 36 people in Rwanda – marking the country’s first outbreak of the disease – with officials now attempting to trace over 400 individuals who had been in contact with the patients.
The Marburg Virus, like Ebola, causes victims to haemorrhage. There is currently no vaccine or cure for the disease and it kills 88% of people who contract it.
On Wednesday, passengers fell ill during a journey, leading to the sealing off of a platform at the train station. A fire department spokesperson revealed that a man and his girlfriend developed flu-like symptoms on a train from Frankfurt.
They had travelled to Germany from another country where they had been treating a man who later developed an infectious disease. The man, believed to be a medical student, had arrived in Frankfurt from Rwanda on Wednesday morning.
Both he and his girlfriend were escorted to a specialist clinic by police and firefighters. Platform four was temporarily closed before being reopened, reports Wales Online.
The outbreak in Rwanda has so far claimed eight lives, prompting the World Health Organisation to advise against travel to the country. At least one of those being traced is known to have left Rwanda.
Many of the cases are concentrated in or around Kigali, the country’s capital and a significant international transport hub. Marburg virus disease (MVD) is a severe and often fatal illness, similar to Ebola, caused by the Marburg virus. Both viruses are part of the Filoviridae family.
The Marburg virus was first discovered in 1967 during simultaneous outbreaks in Marburg and Frankfurt in Germany, and Belgrade in Serbia. These outbreaks were traced back to lab workers who had come into contact with infected monkeys imported from Uganda.
The virus is believed to be transmitted to humans from animals such as fruit bats, which are thought to be the natural hosts. Human-to-human transmission can occur through direct contact with bodily fluids like blood, saliva, or vomit from infected individuals, or via contaminated surfaces or materials like bedding.
Symptoms of MVD, which are similar to those of Ebola, can appear suddenly after an incubation period of 2 to 21 days. There is currently no specific antiviral treatment or vaccine for MVD, but supportive care such as rehydration and symptom management can significantly improve survival rates.
Experimental vaccines and treatments are being developed, and early medical intervention can reduce the fatality rate.