A platform at Hamburg’s main railway station was cordoned off for several hours as police and firefighters responded to a Marburg virus alert. According to media reports, a passenger from Rwanda – a country where there have already been 26 confirmed cases and 11 deaths due to the Marburg virus (MARV) – developed symptoms while travelling with his fiancée. The disease, which is similar to Ebola, presents with symptoms including high fever, headache, fatigue and, in severe cases, mucosal and gastrointestinal bleeding. The mortality rate, although variable depending on the strain, can be as high as 90%. MARV is transmitted directly from an infected fluid or tissue, rather than through the airborne transmission observed with other pathogens. At present, there is no approved vaccine against Marburg disease, although several candidate vaccines are undergoing testing. The measures employed to contain the epidemic are primarily based on quarantine and contact tracing. In response to the health emergency in Rwanda, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reaffirmed the necessity of international cooperation to halt the contagion.
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October 2, 2024
