Death on Via train, illnesses not infectious, say officials
09.05.2008 22:00
Health
- Source: cbc.ca
 One passenger from the train was airlifted to a hospital in Timmins, said an emergency medical services spokesman.(Submitted by Caroline Woodhouse)The death of a woman on board a Via Rail train Friday and the flu-like symptoms experienced by a group of passengers were not caused by an infectious disease and likely weren't connected, Ontario's acting chief medical officer said.
Dr. David Williams spoke at a news conference in Toronto, hours after a woman fell ill and died on the train, which was travelling from Vancouver to Toronto. It was placed under quarantine in the small northern Ontario town of Foleyet. "While the cause of death continues to be under investigation, it has been determined that the deceased did most likely not have an infectious disease," said Williams. He said he didn't yet know what caused her death, but said he has consulted with a doctor on board the train who treated the woman, who was in her 60s. It's believed she had some symptoms of illness when she got on the train in Jasper, Alta., as part of a tour group. The doctor on the train was alerted to the victim's deteriorating health, found her in a washroom and determined she had died minutes earlier. Sick passengers not infectiousWilliams said five other passengers who reported flu-like symptoms and were quarantined on the train do not have infectious diseases and are in stable condition. Their symptoms were mild and they weren't taken to hospital. Williams said those passengers, who were also part of the tour group, had some symptoms before getting on the train and likely had mild viral illnesses. One had sought medical treatment in Alberta for a sinus infection, he said.  An air ambulance waits at an intersection in Foleyet. (Submitted by Caroline Woodhouse) Another passenger who was airlifted to a hospital in Timmins has no fever and no cough and doesn't have an infectious disease, said Williams. The symptoms were likely connected to an existing condition, he said. "It happened to be confluence of three [separate events] at the same time," he said. Williams said he expected the train, which was carrying 264 passengers and 30 crew members, would leave Foleyet, about 100 kilometres southwest of Timmins, later Friday. It had been expected to arrive in Toronto at 8 p.m. ET. 'Lots of action' in townCarol Woodhouse, who works in the town, told CBCNews.ca that a medical helicopter, five ambulances as well as emergency workers were at the railway station. OPP and CN vehicles had blocked off the road leading to the station. "There's lots of action going on," she said. The air ambulance landed in a local baseball field where workers dressed in white suits and face masks removed someone from the train, Woodhouse said. Foleyet is about 100 kilometres southwest of Timmins.(CBC) "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 were anxious to find out what 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 — was "overrun" with emergency workers and news media. 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. 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