German police have cordoned off two tracks at Hamburg Central Station for several hours after fears emerged of a traveller being infected with the deadly Marburg virus.
Hundreds of passengers were forced to evacuate amid fears of a deadly virus.
The federal police cordoned off tracks 7 and 8 for several hours after two travellers on an incoming train from Frankfurt displayed symptoms consistent with Marburg virus infection, a dangerous hemorrhagic fever similar to Ebola.
The emergency began when a 26-year-old German medical student and his girlfriend, travelling on an ICE train from Frankfurt to Hamburg, developed flu-like symptoms during their journey.
According to fire department spokesman Christian Wolter, it remains unclear whether the pair have indeed been infected with the Marburg virus.
Both the student and his girlfriend were transported to the University Hospital Eppendorf (UKE) in a specialised infectious disease ambulance operated by the Hamburg Fire Department, according to the German news site, Bild.
UKE is known for its expertise in treating tropical diseases, and it is here that the pair will undergo further testing and treatment. Their luggage was also confiscated as a precaution.
“The health department has ordered the police to stop people at the main train station as part of infection protection measures,” said Alexander Fricke, spokesman for the Hamburg-Nord district, indicating the seriousness of the incident.
The student, identified as having recently arrived in Frankfurt by plane from Rwanda, had reportedly come into contact with a patient later confirmed to be infected with the Marburg virus.
During the incident, federal police took immediate action, cordoning off the train and ordering all passengers off the affected platforms.
Emergency services in full protective gear boarded the ICE train to evaluate the health of the two travellers.
Approximately 200 passengers were on board the ICE train at the time of the suspected infection.
Federal police are now working to collect data from all the travellers and determine whether any had contact with the two potentially infected individuals.
Authorities are scrambling to assess whether the virus could have spread within the short timeframe of the train journey.
“We now have to find out whether they could have become infected in such a short space of time,” said Christian Wolter, spokesman for Hamburg’s fire department.”
The operation was brought to a close around 5pm, but the investigation and medical evaluations are expected to continue as authorities try to prevent the spread of the virus.
Rwanda is currently grappling with a deadly outbreak of the virus. Since last Friday, eight people have died from Marburg infection, and a total of 27 cases have been confirmed, according to the Ministry of Health in Kigali, the country’s capital.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has assessed the risk as very high at the national level for Rwanda and high at the regional level.
They have advised against all non-essential travel to Rwanda while authorities battle to manage the situation.