Train quarantined in Ont. after death reported (260 aboard)

CTV.ca ^ | Fri. May. 9 2008 | CTV News Staff

[Perdogg]

I have taken that train from Toronto to Vancouver (and back). It stops right outside a very good hamburger stand in Winnipeg and Jasper.

[TomGuy]

CTV.ca Videos

http://watch.ctv.ca/news/latest/train-death/#clip51913

Dr. Michael Gardam, infectious diseases expert, says they have no information that the death is actually connected with the illnesses of the other persons.

[N. Theknow]

Many possibilities. Legionaire’s Disease. Bird Flu. more, much more.

Wouldn't that take longer to kill someone than the train ride would have lasted?

Seems like if it was terrorists they would have done gas or bio to the entire train not just a couple of cars.

[acoulterfan]

Two cars only? How many cars were there total? If it was food poisoning it would be more widespread than 2 cars.

[Oorang]

Thanks for the ping Joe. FF ~ keep us posted on the latest please.

[VirginiaMom]

according to viaRailCanada a trip from Vancouver to Foleyet takes 2 days 11 hours.

VirginiaMom

[mewzilla]

From the WHO.....

Avian influenza (" bird flu") - Fact sheet

As for bird flu, looks like incubation takes a while, but the decline can be rapid.

[Cicero]

My family once took the train from New York City to Seattle, back in the 60s. It took us four days, with a change of trains in Chicago.

That was quite a while ago, but I figure the time across Canada is probably similar.

[mewzilla]

If this is really a GI bug, suppose it could something as mundane as a norovirus.

[gleeaikin]

I think that Jasper, Alberta would be on one of the major migratory flyways to and from Alaska, where last year I think they had reported bird flu. So the next question is whether the dead person had barnyard bird contacts, which is where the crossover from wild fowl to domestic fowl and thence to humans usually takes place.

[RightWhale]

a very good hamburger stand

Hmmm. Did the victims all buy a burger there?

[Abathar]

They don’t do things like this for someone who dies from heart failure around a couple of sick people, something else must have triggered a response like they are doing. I think there is a chance this could be very bad.

[alicewonders]

Or E. coli O157H:7 - that's a bad one.

[fanfan]

Thanks Tom.

[mewzilla]

I wonder why no reports of folks calling out on their cell phones?

[fatima]

There's nothing on the news on TV yet.

[fanfan]

Good question.
Maybe ‘they’ took the cell phones away from the passengers?

[mewzilla]

I was wondering about that. Or is could be that there’s no service in the area. If it’s the latter, the authorities really lucked out on that one.

[Enchante]

"260 passengers and 30 crewmembers

30 crewmembers on a train? What kind of train nowadays has 30 crewmembers?