German authorities have quarantined an ICE train in Hamburg following suspicions of two passengers infected with the lethal Marburg virus. The incident prompted a major emergency response, with federal police closing off platforms and hazmat teams boarding the train.
Federal police sealed off two platforms at Hamburg’s main station after a medical student and his girlfriend, who had recently worked in a Rwandan hospital treating Marburg virus patients, developed flu-like symptoms during their journey from Frankfurt. According to a fire department spokesperson, approximately 200 passengers were on board the train when the alarm was raised. The couple was transported to the University Medical Center Eppendorf (UKE) in a specialized infectious disease ambulance.
Outbreak context and passenger screening
Rwanda is currently experiencing an outbreak of the highly contagious Marburg fever, with ten confirmed deaths and 29 cases as of Tuesday. The majority of patients are medical personnel who have been isolated. In Hamburg, health authorities and federal police have launched investigations to identify passengers who were in close proximity to the couple. According to a Stern reporter on board, passengers were questioned about their use of facilities, including specific details about bathroom visits. The affected train, ICE 1915, was temporarily held at the station instead of continuing its scheduled return journey as ICE 2416.
The Marburg virus causes severe symptoms including fever, convulsions, bloody vomiting, and diarrhea, with a mortality rate of up to 88 percent according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The virus is transmitted through contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals and is believed to originate from fruit bats. It was first identified in 1967 in Marburg, Germany, when laboratory staff were infected by experimental monkeys. A federal police spokesperson confirmed to t-online that the platforms were cordoned off at 3:30 PM and reopened at 4:45 PM, with the affected ICE train also being cleared for service after consultation with health authorities.
