Officials are currently scrutinizing instances of the Marburg virus being utilized in Hamburg.
Initially, it was thought otherwise, but it's now clear that the individuals who traveled from Rwanda to Hamburg haven't contracted the Marburg virus. However, there were some hiccups during the handling of the situation at the main station. Potential vulnerabilities are being looked into.
The handling of the Marburg virus case at Hamburg's main station is currently under scrutiny by various authorities. According to a spokesperson for the social authority, a thorough investigation into the entire sequence of events is ongoing. No conclusions have been drawn yet.
The primary focus during the incident was on isolation, diagnosis, and later reassuring the public. From late Wednesday afternoon until early Thursday morning, there was suspicion that a medical student and his companion might have been infected with the Marburg virus.
The student had worked at a clinic in Rwanda where Marburg virus patients were also treated. Upon his return journey from Frankfurt to Hamburg by train, he expressed concerns about his potential infection to doctors in Hamburg.
Consequently, tracks 7 and 8 at the main station were sealed off, the man and his companion were immediately isolated, and they were transferred to a specialized area at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) for further examination. Moreover, contact details of passengers who might have interacted with the two individuals were recorded as a precaution, as reported by the social authority.
However, there are now doubts regarding this. A Federal Police spokesperson informed the "Hamburger Abendblatt" that no data was collected. It was impossible due to the fact that the affected ICE had already departed by the time the Federal Police arrived. However, around 60 passengers' information who intended to travel on the same train in the opposite direction to Frankfurt were recorded.
The reason: The ICE underwent cleaning at the Hamburg-Langenfelde operating yard but not under decontamination conditions. Consequently, the Federal Police had to halt the train in Hamburg-Harburg. All passengers were required to report there due to a possible infection risk if they had used the train's toilets. The rationale behind this: The medical student and his companion are reported to have used multiple restrooms during their journey to Hamburg.
Despite the initial concerns, the Police were not involved in collecting data from passengers on the affected ICE train due to it departing before their arrival. However, information of around 60 passengers intending to travel in the opposite direction was recorded.
Given that the ICE was cleaned but not decontaminated, the Police had to halt the train at Hamburg-Harburg, requiring all passengers who used the toilets during their journey to report for potential infection risk assessment.
