Canadian train quarantined
This does not look good
A woman has died and 10 more in hospital after a flu-like outbreak on board a Via Rail train. The train, travelling from Vancouver to Toronto, is now under quarantine near Timmins.
Marc Depatie of the Foleyet OPP said that the female passenger was picked up in Jasper, Alberta with a tour group. 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.
That number quickly increased to ten, and all were taken to Timmins and District Hospital. "The Timmins District Hospital is a regional hospital, and I'm confident they can handle it," Nichols allowed.
The train is stopped in Foleyet. "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."
Not good. Not good at all.
UPDATE Monday 5/12/2008 7:29 :
What initially looked to be a frightening infectious disease outbreak that led to the death of one woman aboard a Via Rail train turned out to be a remarkable series of unconnected coincidences, Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. David Williams, explained during a Friday afternoon press conference.
via Drudge