Canada: train quarantined: 1st Thread - one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Giuseppe · May 9, 2008

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

(...)

In Ottawa, the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada say they've both been notified.

"Federal officials are collaborating with provincial and regional counterparts to assess the situation and take action as appropriate," federal health officials said in a statement this afternoon.
Federal Health Minister Tony Clement has directed officials to work with provincial, regional and local authorities both in Foleyet and at all points along the route the train travelled, the department said.
(...)

http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/423330

Treyfish · May 9, 2008

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

20 seconds worth on CNN headline news:tiphat:

Treyfish · May 9, 2008

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

What Went Wrong On Train: Doctor Speculates

Friday May 9, 2008
CityNews.ca Staff

Dr James Brunton is an infectious disease expert from Mount Sinai Hospital. In a telephone interview, he outlines what he thinks happened.
Multiple media reports described the symptom as a flu with respiratory problems. That leads Dr Brunton on think the cause is most likely a virus such as influenza.
"Although it's possible it's bacteria, I think it's more likely to be viral."
Emergency crews are probably "checking out the epidemiological history. That means where did these people come from? What contacts have they have had? Is there any common source?"
Dr Brunton explained that crews are probably looking for a link between the woman who died and the ten who are in hospital.
"You want to try and find out whether those ten people only had contact on the train or had they actually contacted something else before? Is it a tour group is it the tour group who are all experiencing something else before?"
He relates the case to an incident from 30 years ago.
"For instance, when the Legionnaires outbreak occurred, everybody was in the Bellevue Hotel in Philadelphia before the Legionnaires' convention. This was in the United States back in the...I guess it was in the '70s."
That involves taking throat swabs, collecting nasal secretions and other specimens for microbiological analysis.
"You don't usually lose a large number...a large percentage of people who have viral respiratory tract infections. "
Samples will then go to Toronto and Winnipeg. "They will have to get specimens to laboratories, so...in Winnipeg, the National Microbiology Lab and the Public Health Laboratory in Toronto."
Those infections are spread in droplets.
"So by sneezing, coughing...handshake with somebody and then they may touch their nose and so on...however, you also have a sort of halo of respiratory droplets around you, especially when you're coughing and sneezing and people that are in that area may pick up it just simply without touching you or anything like that, but just getting the droplets and inhaling them into their nose and throat."
The incubation period could be up to 72 hours, meaning there could be three days before other passengers exhibit symptoms. :tiphat: http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_22546.aspx

HenryN · May 9, 2008

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Commentary

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/05090805/URI_Tour_Jasper.html

Treyfish · May 9, 2008

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

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No goggles:tiphat: http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2008/05/09/5519061.html

HenryN · May 9, 2008

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Reports saying fatal case "unrelated" to other ill patients on train. Conducting rapid test for influenza A. 5 patients on train with (mild) symptoms have been isolated from other passengers.

Treyfish · May 9, 2008

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Death On Toronto-Bound Via Rail Train

Friday May 9, 2008
CityNews.ca Staff

A woman has died on board a Via Rail train. Ten other passengers suffered a flu-like outbreak, but police believe the two events are not connected.
The train, travelling from Vancouver to Toronto, is now under quarantine at a CN Rail station near Timmins.
Const. Marc Depatie of the Foleyet OPP said that the female passenger was picked up in Jasper, Alberta with a tour group and appears to be in her 60s. It's not known if she was travelling with family.
There was a doctor on board the train who tried to treat her. It's still unclear what caused the woman's death.
There were 260 passengers and 30 crewmembers on board when it stopped in Foleyet.
Emergency crews in full protective gear searched the affected cars. It's believed, but not certain, that the outbreak is confined to only two cars. No one except emergency personnel is allowed on or off the trains.
Sgt Laura Nichols, OPP said that she was called by CN at 8:35am Friday. "There was one person who had vital signs absent and five other people that were sick with flu-like symptoms," she reported.
Provincial police Staff Sgt. Rob Knox says one person was airlifted to hospital but the other passengers and crew members remain in quarantine, including five ill people who have been isolated on the train.
The person in hospital has been diagnosed with a respiratory illness and is in stable condition.
"The Timmins District Hospital is a regional hospital, and I'm confident they can handle it," Sgt Nichols allowed.
The tiny town - population 380- is coping with a flurry of activity.
"The whole place is being overrun with ambulances and police cars, and we've got helicopters," said Deborah DesRochers, chairwoman of the town. "They've got the train quarantined. They're trying to isolate what it is."
However, the OPP is confident Foleyet can cope. "We're implementing our emergency action plan," Const. Depatie explained. "So that if there is a need for evacuation or if there's a need to contain these persons on the long-term basis, we're able to do that efficiently."
Passengers are helping out police with their investigation.
"We have their cooperation at present. We appreciate that very much," Const. Depatie said. The OPP has not yet boarded the train, as the origin of the outbreak has not yet been determined.
"From an OPP perspective, all sudden deaths are deemed to be suspicious in nature until we determine the root cause," Const. Depatie outlined. "So with that in mind, our crime unit is at the scene taking preliminary information down so we can perform an investigation of the event."
The train was due to arrive in Toronto about 8pm Friday. If you're looking for a relative or friend, Sgt. Nichols confirms that an incident commander is en route. "He'll be working with local officials to try and get some processes together to help out those people, to get in contact," she says.
The cause of the outbreak has not yet been determined. It could be biological, chemical, or food-related.
Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada have also been called in. They are collaborating with provincial and regional authorities.:tiphat: http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_22540.aspx

HenryN · May 9, 2008

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Police don't think woman's death, other illnesses on Via train are connected

15 minutes ago
FOLEYET, Ont. ? Police now say they don't believe the death of a 60-year-old woman and the illnesses of several passengers on a halted Via Rail passenger train are connected.
Ambulances, police and helicopters scrambled to the tiny northern Ontario hamlet of Foleyet on Friday morning after reports that as many as 10 passengers were suffering from flu-like symptoms.
Provincial police Staff Sgt. Rob Knox says one person was airlifted to hospital but the other passengers and crew members remain in quarantine, including five ill people who have been isolated on the train.
Knox says a doctor had been on the train, which was en route from Vancouver to Toronto, and tried to help the victim after she became ill from an illness that is still undiagnosed.
She later died, and the doctor turned his attention to other passengers that became ill.
The passenger that was airlifted to hospital was diagnosed with a respiratory illness and is now is stable condition.
Knox says the other five sick passengers are in good spirits and stable condition.
The doctor onboard indicated to police that he saw no reason to evacuate the other passengers for their safety, or anyone else in the vicinity of the quarantined train.
Knox says several health agencies are now trying to determine to confirm whether or not the victim's death and the other illnesses are related, although as of now, police don't believe there's a connection.
"At present we do not believe they're related," he said.
Officials are obtaining medical documents and patient histories to help determine the causes of the illnesses.
He says the other passengers onboard are in fine shape and have enough food and water.

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5h7Q0-fHwzAdqlClVOGmwfb3FRtyA

Treyfish · May 9, 2008

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Mystery illness stops train in northern Ontario

Becky Rynor and Amy Husser, Canwest News Service

Published: Friday, May 09, 2008
Health authorities remain puzzled by an unfolding medical emergency aboard a Via Rail train that has left one woman dead and others seriously ill.
Up to 10 of the 264 passengers were showing flu-like symptoms and have been taken by ambulance to hospital in Timmins, Ont. None of the other passengers are being allowed off the train.
"We are still trying to determine the nature of the medical situation," Health Canada spokesman Alistair Sinclair said.

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Via Rail spokeswoman Catherine Kaloutsky said the Vancouver-to-Toronto passenger train, now under quarantine in this northern Ontario town, was "stopped for medical reasons."
"VIA is in contact with all the appropriate authorities. We are taking all precautions to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers and crew on board."
Police, fire and ambulance officials are on the scene in full protective gear and two of the train cars have been sealed off pending assessments by public health experts.
Laurel Ostfield, a spokeswoman for the Ontario Ministry of Health, said two air ambulances have been deployed to the site, about 40 kilometres west of the town of Foleyet and about 350 kilometres north of Sudbury.
"They can provide help on site," Ostfield said in an interview from Toronto. "The are critical care paramedics so they have high training."
Ostfield added that emergency and public health units from other northern Ontario cities are also on hand, but stressed that authorities are still trying "to work out the details" before releasing any information to the public.
Transportation Safety Board spokeswoman Julie Leroux said the agency, which investigates a range of incidents in rail and other transportation modes, is "monitoring the situation," but that they have not yet been asked to investigate.
CN Rail reported the incident to police at 8:30 a.m., saying an as-yet unnamed female passenger had respiratory problems and that she showed no vital signs. Police say they believe the woman got on the train with a tour group from Jasper, Alta.
Dave Ethier, at the Northern Lights Restaurant in Foleyet, says the train is stopped at the end of the main street and the area around the train has been cordoned off.
"There's OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) and ambulances there," he reported. "They're not letting anybody in or out. The personnel that are involved are the only ones they're letting around there. They're not letting the public close to it."
Jane Armstrong has been watching the scene from her job at the Foleyet General Store on Main Street.
"I'm just up the street from it," she said, adding the road has been cordoned off.
"They've got some ribbons up and they're stopping the people from going near the train."
The train, No. 42, also known as the Canadian, left Vancouver on Tuesday and was scheduled to arrive in Toronto at 8 p.m. local time on Friday.
Other stops along the trip include: Sudbury Junction, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Jasper and Kamloops, B.C.
Anyone looking for information on loved ones can contact VIA Rail's passenger information line at 1-888-842-7245.:tiphat: http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/story.html?id=8ad78a10-61da-4ae0-83dd-68da89156fb1

Treyfish · May 9, 2008

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

<MAP name=OneClip_MockControlsBar><AREA shape=RECT alt="Video News Director" coords=300,17,314,30 href="javascript:LaunchVideoNewsDirector()"><AREA shape=RECT alt=Watch coords=3,14,51,34 href="javascript:LoadOneClip( '22540' )"></MAP>
Train Death Not Connected To Flu-Like Outbreak In Same Car: Police

Friday May 9, 2008
CityNews.ca Staff

A woman has died on board a Via Rail train. Ten other passengers suffered a flu-like outbreak, but police believe the two events are not connected.
The train, travelling from Vancouver to Toronto, is now under quarantine at a CN Rail station near Timmins.
Const. Marc Depatie of the Foleyet OPP said that the female passenger was picked up in Jasper, Alberta with a tour group and appears to be in her 60s. It's not known if she was travelling with family.
There was a doctor on board the train who tried to treat her. It's still unclear what caused the woman's death.
There were 260 passengers and 30 crewmembers on board when it stopped in Foleyet.
Emergency crews in full protective gear searched the affected cars. It's believed, but not certain, that the outbreak is confined to only two cars. No one except emergency personnel is allowed on or off the trains.
Sgt Laura Nichols, OPP said that she was called by CN at 8:35am Friday. "There was one person who had vital signs absent and five other people that were sick with flu-like symptoms," she reported.
Provincial police Staff Sgt. Rob Knox says one person was airlifted to hospital but the other passengers and crew members remain in quarantine, including five ill people who have been isolated on the train.
The person in hospital has been diagnosed with a respiratory illness and is in stable condition.
"The Timmins District Hospital is a regional hospital, and I'm confident they can handle it," Sgt Nichols allowed.
The tiny town - population 380- is coping with a flurry of activity.
"The whole place is being overrun with ambulances and police cars, and we've got helicopters," said Deborah DesRochers, chairwoman of the town. "They've got the train quarantined. They're trying to isolate what it is."
However, the OPP is confident Foleyet can cope. "We're implementing our emergency action plan," Const. Depatie explained. "So that if there is a need for evacuation or if there's a need to contain these persons on the long-term basis, we're able to do that efficiently."
Passengers are helping out police with their investigation.
"We have their cooperation at present. We appreciate that very much," Const. Depatie said. The OPP has not yet boarded the train, as the origin of the outbreak has not yet been determined.
"From an OPP perspective, all sudden deaths are deemed to be suspicious in nature until we determine the root cause," Const. Depatie outlined. "So with that in mind, our crime unit is at the scene taking preliminary information down so we can perform an investigation of the event."
The train was due to arrive in Toronto about 8pm Friday. If you're looking for a relative or friend, Sgt. Nichols confirms that an incident commander is en route. "He'll be working with local officials to try and get some processes together to help out those people, to get in contact," she says.
The cause of the outbreak has not yet been determined. It could be biological, chemical, or food-related.
Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada have also been called in. They are collaborating with provincial and regional authorities.:tiphat: http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_22540.aspx

Diane Morin · May 9, 2008

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Public Health Agency of Canada
www.publichealth.gc.ca<FORM id=navsearchfrm accept-charset=iso-8859-1 action=http://recherche-search.gc.ca/s_r?>

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Statement from the Minister of Health

Train in Foleyet, Ontario

May 9, 2008
For Immediate Release

OTTAWA - The Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada have been made aware of a train that has stopped in Foleyet, Ontario. Federal officials are collaborating with provincial and regional counterparts to assess the situation and take action as appropriate.
The Minister of Health has been briefed and has directed his officials to notify and liaise with provincial, regional and local authorities both in Foleyet and at all points along the route the train traveled.

- 30 -

Media Inquiries:
Public Health Agency of Canada
(613) 948-7970

http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/media/cpho-acsp/foleyet-0508-eng.php

HenryN · May 9, 2008

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Commentary

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/05090806/URI_Fatality_Unlinked.html

Giuseppe · May 9, 2008

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

(...)
He agreed with McGeer in saying early indications suggest that influenza may be the cause.

The longer we go without hearing any specifics the more likely it is to be nothing, McGeer added.

"It could be food poisoning, it could be Norwalk, it could be influenza or any of the other respiratory illnesses," she said.

"It could theoretically be some exposure on the train, something went wrong with their air conditioning system and people got irritated airways."

Norwalk is a highly contagious gastro-intestinal illness that comes on fast and leaves people vomiting and with severe diarrhea for about two days.

The virus usually makes headlines when it causes outbreaks in hospitals, day-cares and even cruise ships.

"This could be some poor person with cardiac disease or somebody who got pneumonia or some other completely non-communicable illness who had the misfortune to die on the train," she said.

During the SARS crisis in 2003 that left 44 dead in Ontario a 747 plane going to San Francisco was grounded and it turned out to be absolutely nothing.

After SARS, Ontario has worked hard to come up with rapid response plans in the face of a public health disaster, said McGeer, who was one of the lead physicians fighting Toronto's outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome. She added that even if this incident turns out to be nothing, the purpose of the things is trying to build is the ability to respond rapidly and appropriately," she said. "It certainly looks like people got notified and there are the appropriate people on the ground."

Timmins has a regional health lab with the capacity to quickly discover if this is a viral illness because of the Ontario Public Health Laboratories -- headed up by Dr. Don Low. "They have regional labs across the province, they've been working really hard at developing diagnostic capacity for outbreak illnesses," she said. "They are all linked."

The slowest part of the operation will be moving the viral specimens from where the train is stopped to Timmins. "This is the logistics of dealing with quarantine issues and dealing with everything at the same time. This will probably be the hardest part of the operation."

Low said he will know more when the public health lab in Toronto gets specimens from the health lab in Timmins, likely within the next 24 hours.
-
http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/423607
------

Treyfish · May 9, 2008

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Fox news called it an airborne toxin.

Giuseppe · May 9, 2008

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Treyfish said:
Fox news called it an airborne toxin.

I think that one of the tests on the patients was obviously oxygen saturation and emogas analysis (with CO+emoglobin). If these tests was positive (intoxication confirmed) at this point Health authorities would have mentionend.

Giuseppe · May 9, 2008

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

(...)
May 09, 2008 03:15 PM
Curtis Rush
and Jackson Hayes
Staff Reporters

One woman has died and another is in emergency care in a Timmins hospital after an illness broke out aboard a Toronto-bound VIA train in northern Ontario this morning.

Five other people, believed to be part of the same seven-member tour group, have reported flu-like symptoms, but are being treated on the train, which is quarantined in Foyelet, a small town northwest of Sudbury.

Kali Garneau, communications co-ordinator for Timmins & District Hospital, said one person was taken by air ambulance to the hospital at 11 a.m.
"We only received one person," Garneau said.
That patient, a female, is in stable condition and is in quarantine, Garneau said.

Garneau did not know if that person was related to the person who died.
There is no other hospital in the area.

Ontario's medical officer of health, Dr. David Williams, has scheduled a news conference at Queen's Park for 4 p.m.

The train, carrying 264 passengers, was stopped at Foleyet at about 8:35 a.m. after CN Rail was informed that a woman had taken ill and had stopped breathing.

The woman who died was 60 and a member of a group of seven travellers. Her name was not immediately released.

All the people who became ill boarded the same two cars in Jasper, Alta.

The train, which was due to arrive in Toronto at 8 p.m. today, started its journey on Tuesday afternoon in Vancouver.

VIA Rail said it has set up a toll-free number that can be called for family members who may be on that train. That number is 1-877-747-0707.

"VIA continues to be in contact with appropriate health and transportation authorities to ensure the safety and comfort of all passengers and crew on board," the VIA statement said.
At the outset, police were investigating to see if there is "
(...)
-
http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/423330
-----

Treyfish · May 9, 2008

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Via train quarantied at Foleyet

One person dead, 10 sent to hospital

Posted By

Updated 45 mins ago

FOLEYET, Ont. ? Police now say they don?t believe the death of a
60-year-old woman and the illnesses of several passengers on a halted Via
Rail passenger train are connected.
Ambulances, police and helicopters scrambled to the tiny northern Ontario
hamlet of Foleyet on Friday morning after reports that as many as 10
passengers were suffering from flu-like symptoms.
Provincial police Staff Sgt. Rob Knox says one person was airlifted to
hospital but the other passengers and crew members remain in quarantine,
including five ill people who have been isolated on the train.
Knox says a doctor had been on the train, which was en route from Vancouver
to Toronto, and tried to help the victim after she became ill from an
illness that is still undiagnosed.
She later died, and the doctor turned his attention to other passengers
that became ill.
The passenger that was airlifted to hospital was diagnosed with a
respiratory illness and is now is stable condition.
Knox says the other five sick passengers are in good spirits and stable
condition.
The doctor onboard indicated to police that he saw no reason to evacuate
the other passengers for their safety, or anyone else in the vicinity of
the quarantined train.
Knox says several health agencies are now trying to determine to confirm
whether or not the victim?s death and the other illnesses are related,
although as of now, police don?t believe there?s a connection.
?At present we do not believe they?re related,? he said.
Officials are obtaining medical documents and patient histories to help
determine the causes of the illnesses.
He says the other passengers onboard are in fine shape and have enough food
and water. :tiphat: http://www.timminspress.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1021551&auth=+

Treyfish · May 9, 2008

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Death not connected to illnesses on Via train: police
Passenger died on train travelling from Vancouver to Toronto
Last Updated: Friday, May 9, 2008 | 1:35 PM ET Comments48Recommend351CBC News
One passenger from the train was airlifted to a hospital in Timmins, said an emergency medical services spokesman. (Submitted by Caroline Woodhouse) Police said Friday they don't think the death of a woman on board a Via train quarantined in northern Ontario is linked to flu-like symptoms reported by several other passengers.

Officials said they received word of a medical emergency on board the Vancouver to Toronto train around 9 a.m. ET as it neared a regular stop in Foleyet, Ont. The town of 380 people is about 100 kilometres southwest of Timmins.

OPP Staff Sgt. Rob Knox said a doctor on board the train tried to help a woman in her 60s who became sick from an undiagnosed illness. She later died, and the doctor turned his attention to other passengers who said they felt ill.

"At present, we do not believe they're related," Knox said.

OPP Const. Marc Depatie said he believed the woman who died had boarded the train in Jasper, Alta., as part of a tour group. Depatie said there were reports she had flu-like symptoms when she boarded.

Depatie said seven other members of the group have reported feeling flu-like symptoms.

Passenger hospitalized
One person was airlifted to Timmins and District Hospital and is in stable condition, said Steve Trenier, a spokesman for Timmins Emergency Medical Services. That passenger has been diagnosed with a respiratory illness.

Emergency response workers, including a doctor, are working inside the train, which was carrying 260 passengers and 30 crewmembers.The air ambulance waits at an intersection in Foleyet. (Submitted by Caroline Woodhouse)
"Things are underway. We're waiting for some further information," said Trenier, adding the passengers on the train are being co-operative and patient.

Officials are booking accommodations for people on the train in case they have to spend the night in the area. The train left Vancouver three days ago and was scheduled to arrive in Toronto on Friday evening.

Federal Health Minister Tony Clement has been briefed on the situation, said a statement from the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada.

"Federal officials are collaborating with provincial and regional counterparts to assess the situation and take action as appropriate."

'Lots of action' in town
Carol Woodhouse, who works in the town, told CBCNews.ca a medical helicopter, five ambulances and emergency workers were all at the railway station. OPP and CN vehicles had blocked off the road leading to the station.Foleyet is about 100 kilometres southwest of Timmins. (CBC)
"There's lots of action going on," she said.

Woodhouse said the air ambulance landed in a local baseball field where workers dressed in white suits and facemasks removed someone from the train.

"For a little town that usually has only two police officers, it's been very busy here," she said.

Town chairwoman Deborah DesRochers said people in the town are anxious to find out what has caused the illness.

"It's the not knowing. That's what everybody is up in the air about," she said. "The quicker they can put that to rest, it'll make everyone feel happier."

DesRochers said the tiny town — which has one restaurant and no cellphone service — is quickly becoming "overrun" with emergency workers and news media.

Flu season in Ontario
Dr. Allison McGeer, the director of infection control at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital, said there could be many explanations for such symptoms, including influenza, food poisoning or environmental exposure.

While influenza has decreased in Western Canada, it is still active in Ontario, she said.

"There's bound to be a few of those people [on the train] who are ill," said McGeer.

She said Ontario's new infection control system means the results from specimens sent from the train will be available later Friday or Saturday.

"It's incredibly effective," she said.
:tiphat: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/05/09/train-.

Foleyet is about 100 kilometres southwest of Timmins. (CBC)quarantine.html.

The air ambulance waits at an intersection in Foleyet. (Submitted by Caroline Woodhouse)

Giuseppe · May 9, 2008

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Saskatchewan health officials await word on quarantined train
Darren Bernhardt, TheStarPhoenix.com
Published: Friday, May 09, 2008

As health authorities work to solve a medical mystery aboard a Via Rail passenger train quarantined in Ontario, government agencies in Saskatchewan are eagerly awaiting word on whether any potentially infected persons deboarded in Saskatoon or Melville.

"There have been no notifications or alerts sent yet," said James Winkel, spokesperson for the Saskatoon Health Region.

Saskatchewan's ministry of health is equally in the dark.

Because the train crossed the country, it is a federal matter involving several agencies and departments through which the information is being disseminated, said Andrew Dinsmore, spokesperson for Saskatchewan Health.

A female passenger on the train en route from Vancouver to Toronto has died and 10 others have been airlifted to hospital in Timmins, Ont. with similar flu-like symptoms.

Officials have sealed off two of the train cars and quarantined 264 passengers while Health Canada officials try to determine the medical situation.

The train, known as the Canadian, left Vancouver on Tuesday and was scheduled to arrive in Toronto at 8 p.m. local time on Friday. It would have passed through Saskatoon early Thursday and Melville about four hours later.

By 8:30 a.m. Friday, the train had stopped about 40 kilometres west of Foleyet, Ont., approximately 350 kilometres north of Sudbury, as a result of the woman's death. CN Rail reported the incident to police, saying the woman had respiratory problems and showed no vital signs.

Interview requests by The StarPhoenix to VIA Rail have gone unreturned.

Spokesperson Catherine Kaloutsky has told Canwest News Service that "VIA is in contact with all the appropriate authorities. We are taking all precautions to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers and crew on board."

Police say they believe the woman got on the train with a tour group from Jasper, Alta.

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Health Canada, and Public Safety Canada are investigating the environmental concerns while Ontario Health is in charge of patient care.

Once they have any information to share, it will be passed on to their provincial counterparts who will then forward it to the affected health regions, Dinsmore has been told.

According to a news release issued by PHAC, "the minister of health has been briefed and has directed his officials to notify and liaise with provincial, regional and local authorities both in Foleyet and at all points along the route the train traveled."

So far, however, neither the Saskatoon Health Region nor the provincial ministry have heard anything.

"The key for us is whether anybody got on or off the train here," said Dinsmore. "But as far as I know, jurisdictions across the west - B.C., Alberta and Manitoba - are all waiting to hear about what's going on."

Dr. Ross Findlater, the chief medical health officer for Saskatchewan, suggested nobody should panic.

Although he has "no real detailed information" beyond what he has received from the news media reports, "it has struck me that it won't turn into anything significant," he said. "A communicable disease of an serious degree is unlikely."

There are no major communicable disease concerns in Canada "that we know of" at the moment, he added. There is just as strong a possibility the woman who died did so from natural causes and other people in the train car, feeling they may have been infected, begin to show signs.
It could also be an environmental issue with carbon monoxide, which causes nausea, vomiting and headaches, which "can be viewed as flu symptoms," Findlater said. "But it doesn't usually cause respiratory problems. So we need to give Ontario time to figure it out and not jump to any conclusions right now."

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http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/story.html?id=a48d1741-323f-4da6-8875-846abb31551f
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HenryN · May 9, 2008

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Re: Canada: train quarantined; one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

Latest news from Canada has strategic qualifiers. The fatal case is not linked "at this time" and the news conference indicates there is no "evidence" of infectious disease. However, a lack of evidence may simply be due to the fact that the lab tests have not been run (or rapid test gave false negatives), which may also be the basis for the lack of linkage. Reports also indicates the fatal case had pre-existing condition(s), but has no detail.

Canada: train quarantined: 1st Thread - one person died, others have flu-like symptoms

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