Large alarm in Hamburg: ICE with possible Marburg virus on board!

Large alarm in Hamburg: ICE with possible Marburg virus on board!

at Hamburg's main station there was an alarming excitement when the train ICE2416 arrived from Frankfurt/Main, possibly on board with an infected passenger. Behind this dramatic scenario is a 26-year-old medical student from Hamburg, who returned with his girlfriend from Rwanda and may have come into contact with the dangerous Marburg virus. The situation did not let the authorities and rescue workers remain calm - tracks 7 and 8 were closed for hours, and the approximately 200 passengers of the train had to endure in full uncertainty.

The terror report about the virus, which is currently being spreading in Rwanda, was no coincidence. In the past few days, eight deaths in connection with the virus have been reported, and 27 cases of infection have already been recorded. This raised the concern when it became known that the student felt flu -like symptoms, while he was still on the train in Frankfurt - actually even a whole day before he arrived in Hamburg.

tests and reactions of the authorities

The tests on the virus are still pending, which is why the uncertainty remains whether the medical student and his girlfriend have actually become infected. But the speed of the reactions spoke for themselves: the Hamburg health department immediately initiated measures that included a passport at the main train station. "As part of the infection protection through the police, the health department initiated a passport at the main train station," said the spokesman for the Hamburg-Nord district, Alexander Fricke.

A spokesman for the fire brigade informed about the further process: "We have to find out whether passengers could infect themselves in the short time." This remains uncertain for the time being.

contact with the infected patient

The student had flown before and came directly from Rwanda. There he had contact with a patient who was later tested positively for the Marburg virus. This connection triggered worrying discussions, especially when it was reported during a previous flight from Frankfurt that an infected person was on board. After landing in Hamburg, the flight was heavily checked and directed into the quarantine area of ​​the airport.

The crew learned of the suspicion during the flight, which led to an extremely cautious reaction. However, it turned out that the person sought was ultimately not on board.

The Marburg virus itself is particularly dangerous: it was first identified in 1967 at laboratory workers in Marburg (Hesse) and is closely related to the Ebola virus. The mortality rate can be up to 90 percent, and the symptoms are serious - the typical signs include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and bleeding. There is a contagion through contact with body fluids, which leads to a high threat to public health. So far there is no vaccine against the virus, which makes the situation all the more critical.

For more information about the economic and health effects of the Marburg-Virus, see the report on www.bild.de .