Medical student from Rwanda: Virus warning at Hamburg Central Station!

Medical student from Rwanda: Virus warning at Hamburg Central Station!

in Hamburg recently the arrival of a medical student caused great excitement, which could possibly be infected with the dangerous Marburg virus. The student, who previously worked in a hospital in Rwanda, where patients are treated with this serious illness, traveled from Frankfurt by train to the Hanseatic city. A few hours after his arrival, health authorities became aware after the student had developed symptoms and was concerned about being infected.

The situation quickly escalated when the health department decided to immediately isolate the students at Hamburg Central Station. In a well-coordinated campaign, the federal police blocked two tracks, while the fire brigade arrived with a special infection rescue vehicle to bring the students and his accompaniment to the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE).

The course of the investigation

• Symptoms: The patient showed flu -like symptoms and slight nausea, but no fever. The typical symptoms of the Marburg virus include high fever, muscle pain, abdominal cramps, diarrhea and bloody vomiting in the event of severe courses.
• Diagnosticum: In the UKE they were brought to an area for highly contagious infectious diseases. The specialist and reaction group of the public health service coordinated the diagnosis, which is usually completed within 24 hours. A quick clarification is expected for Thursday.
• transmission paths: The Marburg virus is not transferred through the air, but by direct contact with body fluids of infected persons. According to the WHO, the mortal rate is between 24 and 88 percent.

uncertainties and precautionary measures

• Infection status: The official investigation result is still pending. This could have an impact on possible precautionary measures for other travelers who were on the train or plane.
• Uncertainties: So far there are no quarantine for fellow travelers, but the contact details of the passengers in the ICE from Frankfurt to Hamburg have been recorded as a precaution. It remains to be seen whether other people may be affected.
• L course: it is not yet clear to what extent the medical student and his accompaniment on the trip to Frankfurt may have had close contact with other travelers.

These incidents are reminiscent of one of the first known outbreaks of the virus, which was documented in 1967 in Marburg, Germany, where 29 people were infected and seven died. You can find detailed reporting on this topic here .