What are the symptoms of deadly Marburg virus and is there a cure?
Fears of an outbreak of a lethal virus with no cure have risen through Europe after railway passengers in Germany began to show symptoms.
The Marburg virus kills up to 88% of people who contract the disease, causing victims to develop a haemorrhagic fever and even bleed from their eyes before their death.
Officers cordoned off Hamburg Central Station for several hours yesterday, sending commuters scrambling for safety.
Two travellers, a medical student and his girlfriend, were on the ICE high-speed train which had arrived from Frankfurt when they started to show symptoms.
The student, 26, had previously arrived by plane from Rwanda where at least people have died from an outbreak.
He had also been in contact with an infected patient.
UK health chiefs have demanded businesses monitor employees who are sent to visit Rwanda.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the outbreak in the African nation is of ‘great concern’.
What are the symptoms?
Marburg virus starts like a harmless flu, with a fever, headache and muscle pains.
Within days, those infected suffer from excessive bleeding – including from the eyes- a rash, extreme lethargy and blood-stained vomit and diarrhoea.
During the journey it is reported the travellers both developed flu-like symptoms.
But it remains unclear whether the pair have indeed been infected with the Marburg virus, fire department spokesperson Christian Wolte said.
Are there any cases of Marburg virus in the UK?
There haven’t been any reported cases yet in the UK.
One case was imported into Scotland in December 2014, where the patient was a healthcare worker who had been working in an Ebola treatment centre in Sierra Leone.
How is it spread?
Marburg can spread from human-to-human through bodily fluids and contaminated materials such as bedding and clothing.
As of now, the majority of victims have been health workers in the intensive care unit.
It is thought the virus results from prolonged exposure to mines or caves inhabited by infected bats.
In 1967 two large outbreaks occurred in Germany and Serbia and were found to have originated from laboratory work using African green monkeys from Uganda.
Is there a cure?
There are no specific treatments or a vaccine, but a range of blood products, drug and immune therapies are being developed, according to WHO.
Days after Rwanda announced an outbreak of the Marburg virus, authorities have introduced a set of measures on gatherings to control the spread.
The country’s health minister Sabin Nsanzimana said last week: ‘We are counting 20 people who are infected, and six who have already passed away due to this virus.
‘The large majority of cases and deaths are among healthcare workers, mainly in the intensive care unit.’
Is there a travel ban in place anywhere?
The World Health Organization has advised against all travel to Rwanda due to the deaths of eight people who contracted the virus.
On September 27, 2024, the World Health Organization announced an outbreak of Marburg virus disease in Rwanda, marking the first occurrence of the virus in the country.
The Ministry of Health has confirmed 26 cases, including eight deaths, with reported cases in districts such as Gasabo, Gatsibo, Kamonyi, Kicukiro, Nyagatare, Nyarugenge, and Rubavu. Most of the deceased were healthcare workers in Kigali.
The risk of travellers becoming infected or developing Marburg virus disease is extremely low. There is as yet no proven treatment available for Marburg virus disease.
A WHO spokesman said: ‘It is important for people showing Marburg-like symptoms to seek care early for supportive treatment which can improve patient survival.
‘WHO assesses the risk of this outbreak as very high at the national level, high at the regional level, and low at the global level.’
The fever has killed 11 people in Rwanda while there are 36 confirmed cases.
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