Suspected Marburg virus cases in Hamburg test negative amid fears of outbreak
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Two travelers in Germany who were thought to potentially have the Marburg virus have been tested and found to be negative for the highly infectious illness.
The travelers who were coming back from Rwanda to Hamburg, with a stop in Frankfurt, underwent medical checks at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) on Wednesday, October 2nd.
Yesterday, the platforms at Hamburg Central Station were shut down after a passenger on the ICE train reported to medical staff that they were worried about possibly having a tropical illness they might have caught in Rwanda.
The health officials in Hamburg quarantined both individuals at the central train station and moved them to a specialized facility at the UKE designated for highly contagious diseases for further assessment.
Rwanda is facing an outbreak of the Marburg virus, reporting 36 cases so far. As of Wednesday, 25 individuals are in isolation, and there have been 11 confirmed deaths in this landlocked African nation.
Hamburg's Social Affairs Authority has stated that the two individuals had been employed at a hospital in Rwanda during their medical training and they both received negative results for the Marburg virus from a PCR test.
The official statement indicated that neither of the passengers reported any “complaints or symptoms related to the disease” following a brief interaction that a 26-year-old medical student had with a patient diagnosed with Marburg on September 25.
The signs of the Marburg virus can include high fever, muscle aches, diarrhea, vomiting, and in severe cases, it can lead to death due to significant blood loss.
The virus comes from fruit bats and is transmitted among people through direct contact with bodily fluids or contaminated surfaces.
The Hamburg officials released a statement saying, "There is no risk to others, as the individual tested negative and exhibited no symptoms during their journey. The negative result indicates that there were no viruses detected, which means that neither air nor rail passengers were ever at risk of contracting the Marburg virus."
They stated, "Hamburg is ready to handle an epidemic. The Public Health Service of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg has a specialized team for epidemic control and response, consisting of experts from various fields, who are responsible for coordinating the necessary actions."
The student who had interaction with someone infected will now be observed for a maximum of 21 days, which covers the entire incubation period.
On October 1, the UK Foreign Office revised its travel guidelines for Rwanda, stating that the Rwandan Ministry of Health has publicly announced the confirmed presence of Marburg virus disease in medical facilities across the nation.
"We know that it is currently found in hospitals in Kigali. Authorities are conducting inquiries to trace the source of the infection."
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