Suspected Marburg virus on German train was just a scare

Two people suspected of having the deadly Marburg virus in Germany have tested negative, local authorities said. Police closed two tracks at Hamburg’s central station on Wednesday while emergency crews in full protective gear evacuated a train from Frankfurt.

The two passengers, a 26-year-old medical student and his partner, contacted doctors because they were worried that they had contracted the virus while being in contact with a Marburg patient in Rwanda, according to a Politico report.

The Hamburg Fire Department had said one of them had vomited, according to Politico, but both their PCR tests turned out negative, a statement from Hamburg's social affairs department said.

The statement also said that the medical student will continue to be monitored until the end of the incubation period of up to 21 days.

The East African country is currently experiencing an outbreak of the lethal and highly contagious Marburg virus, with 11 deaths and 26 cases confirmed so far, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Like Ebola, the Marburg virus is believed to originate in fruit bats and the symptoms include fever, muscle pains, diarrhoea, vomiting and, in some cases, death through extreme blood loss.

According to the WHO, the average case fatality rate is about 50% with treatment and up to 88% in people who do not receive treatment.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said that since transmission requires contact "with the bodily fluids of a symptomatic case," infection in EU citizens travelling to or living in Rwanda is "currently considered low".

The ECDC recommended that travellers that go to Rwanda avoid contact with anyone exhibiting Marburg symptoms.

According to a Euronews report, at least 300 people who came into contact with those confirmed to have the virus have been identified by Rwandan health authorities who said that most of the affected people are healthcare workers.

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