Posted on 07/23/2002 3:29:11 PM PDT by Freebird Forever
Wave of illness aboard Vancouver-bound train brings nausea, vomiting
Health Canada officials are investigating after a wave of illness broke out among people aboard a Vancouver-bound VIA Rail train last week.
Although VIA Rail officials could not confirm the number of people affected, an American passenger hit by the illness said Sunday that dozens developed nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
"It's the sickest I've ever been," said Antoinette Renshaw, 55, who boarded the VIA Rail Canadian train in Toronto on July 16.
She said in an interview Sunday that several hours after departure, rumours began to circulate that crew members were falling ill.
When the train reached Winnipeg on the afternoon of July 17, Renshaw said the train was boarded by a crew of people wearing black smocks.
"We called them the men in black," she said. The workers walked around the train, spraying and wiping down surfaces.
"They said they were spraying places that people touched," Renshaw said.
Later that evening, Renshaw noticed a letter posted near her sleeper car.
"It said that a communicable disease was aboard the train, and it was also affecting airlines, buses, and other places where people congregate," she said.
Renshaw began to worry. She spoke to other passengers, many of whom were beginning to feel gastrointestinal upsets, to see if they knew what was happening, but most hadn't even seen the letter. Speaking to VIA employees, she said, was just as frustrating.
"I asked them for a copy of the letter, and they wouldn't give me one," she said. "They weren't very helpful."
About 24 hours after Renshaw got off the train in Jasper, where she was meeting a friend, she began to feel ill. Renshaw said she vomited for 12 hours, and was in intense pain.
Health Canada confirmed Sunday that it is looking at the rash of illness aboard the train.
"An investigation by occupational and environmental health officials is under way," said Health Canada spokesman Blair Parkhurst.
VIA Rail spokeswoman Kelly Thomas said that as a result of the outbreak, two passenger cars were taken off the tracks, and cleaned thoroughly.
The symptoms experienced by passengers and crew aboard the train, she said, are consistent with those of Norwalk-like viruses. The symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, muscle aches, headaches, fatigue and fevers.
The viruses are spread when food that is not cooked is handled by infected people who did not wash their hands after using the washroom, by consuming water contaminated by sewage or by consuming ice made from contaminated water, and from shellfish harvested from sewage-contaminated water.
Asked why passengers weren't given more information, she said she had been told the crew was briefed and should have been able to answer questions.
Because symptoms may not occur for up to 24 to 48 hours after exposure, VIA is asking anyone who experienced symptoms after boarding the train to phone 1-800-561-8630.
Meanwhile, Renshaw, who had planned to continue her train journey to Vancouver, then take the train home to where she lives near Tacoma, Wash., has changed her mind.
She said Sunday she'll fly home from Alberta instead.
"My rail pass home was paid for, but I'd rather pay a last-minute one-way fare home to avoid taking the train," she said. "I'm not stepping on that damn train again."
Seen anything on these other cases?
No. This is the only information I've run across so far. Either it was just a localized contamination or someone put a lid on the story real quick.
I also wondee if there's any connection with the grounding of people with foreign pilot's licenses (was there a warning of some sort?).
I also wondee if there's any connection with the grounding of people with foreign pilot's licenses (was there a warning of some sort?).
The virus seems to be common.
Is there a Taco Bell in the train station? That stuff will hurt you.
Yes, but the story is bizarre:
When the train reached Winnipeg on the afternoon of July 17, Renshaw said the train was boarded by a crew of people wearing black smocks.Is there any confirmation of this story in any other media report?
"We called them the men in black," she said. The workers walked around the train, spraying and wiping down surfaces.
"They said they were spraying places that people touched," Renshaw said.
Later that evening, Renshaw noticed a letter posted near her sleeper car.
"It said that a communicable disease was aboard the train, and it was also affecting airlines, buses, and other places where people congregate," she said.
This probably was just another natural outbreak of Norwalk virus, which isn't uncommon.
Sorry for wasting your time on this story.
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