The pair were reportedly travelling on a high speed train from Frankfurt (file pic) (Image: Getty)
Authorities rushed to a train station over fears two passengers could be carrying a deadly -like virus.
Platforms seven and eight at Hamburg Station were cordoned off for several hours on Wednesday afternoon as an emergency team clad in full protective suits entered a train that had arrived from Frankfurt after two suspected cases of Marburg virus.
One of them, a German medical student, 26, and his girlfriend started experiencing flu-like symptoms during their train journey, according to German news outlet Bild.
The man had reportedly been in , where he had contact with a patient later diagnosed with the highly contagious bug, and recently returned to by plane, as per the report.
A spokesperson for the Hamburg Fire Department told the Die Welt newspaper that he called them “because he suspected something was wrong,” after one of them began vomiting.
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Health authorities Rwanda have confirmed ten deaths from Marburg virus during the current outbreak (Image: Getty)
It’s not yet known whether either of them are infected with the virus, fire department spokesperson Christian Wolter said, and the pair are being tested to determine whether the virus was behind their symptoms.
Health authorities have confirmed ten deaths from Marburg virus during the current outbreak, which has seen 29 confirmed cases as of Tuesday.
There is currently no authorised vaccine or treatment for the virus, which has fatality rate as high as 88 percent. It’s part of the same family of viruses as , and is passed between people via contact with the bodily fluids of a positive case.
Most of the cases so far have been healthcare workers treating infected patients in and around the Rwandan capital Kigali, reports.
Kigali has a population of 1.2million people and the World Health Organisation (WHO) said this week the risk of the virus spreading to neighbouring countries is high after flagging it as a “priority pathogen” with the potential to become a pandemic.
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Health Minister Sabin Nsanzimana previously said: “ is a rare disease. We are intensifying contact tracing and testing to help stop the spread.”
Around 300 people who have come into contact with confirmed cases in Rwanda have been identified, with some put in isolation facilities.
The WHO has advised against all travel to Rwanda while authorities attempt to bring the situation under control. An official advised anyone experiencing symptoms of the virus to seek medical help immediately.
“It is important for people showing Marburg-like symptoms to seek care early for supportive treatment which can improve patient survival,” he said.
“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.”
Symptoms of virus, which can take between three days and three weeks to show, include fever, muscle pains, diarrhea, vomiting and, in some cases, death through extreme blood loss.