Thursday, October 2, 2008

Urgent Health Alert

Toronto bus passenger may have infected others with TB

Canwest News Service


“TORONTO - Ontario public health agencies are attempting to contact 27 passengers who were on a Greyhound bus that stopped in Windsor, Ont., in August after a passenger onboard tested positive for tuberculosis.
The bus, departed from Toronto at 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 31, with 33 passengers bound for Detroit, according to a news release Thursday by Ontario's public health agency.
The bus made a stop in London, Ont., at 2:35 p.m. and picked up nine more passengers and then stopped again in Windsor, Ont., at 5:05 p.m. where 27 people got off, the statement said.

Health authorities are now trying to locate those 27 passengers who were on the Greyhound trip No. 0367 in fear that the passenger who has tuberculosis may have passed it on to other passengers.
"The risk is low but we want to make sure everyone who was potentially exposed is properly notified and evaluated as needed," Dr. David Williams, Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health, said in a statement. The sick passenger was stopped at the Windsor-Detroit border by U.S. customs officials and has been quarantined at a Windsor area hospital. "

Please pass this information on in the blogosphere.
Let's see if those 27 people can be found and contacted today.

EDIT TO ADD:

Anyone who was on the Detroit-bound bus is asked to contact their local health authority at 1-866-532-3161.

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10 comments:

Mental P Mama said...

That is scary.

Gary ("Old Dude") said...

Its somewhat comforting to see the powers that be can act on these things, but the question paramount in my mind is---who determined the one passenger had TB, and detained him at the border?? I would like to know how that happened. Did he have a tell tale cough, did he volunteer the information or just what??

Baino said...

Gosh you wouldn't expect it in Canada? I assume you're like us and TB test and vaccinate. There was a bit of a scare here a while ago due to an immigrant bringing it in. Fortunately, it's treatable these days. My mother had it in the early 50's before the advent of antibiotics and lost a lung because of it!

Baino said...

Well half a lung naturally!

LA Nickers said...

That's quite alarming.

By the way, I love how you tailor the teddy bears for your posts.

Blessings,
Linda

FOUR-LEGGED FAVOR, on THE MANE POINT

kenju said...

I sure hope they find everyone! That is some scary stuff.

Adventure girl said...

Oh my! Scary!

Anonymous said...

This is indeed alarming and lets hope those folks are found and given the all clear. Lets hope too that it isn't the drug resistant strain of TB that has caused panic and fear in South Africa with 27 quarantined TB patients escaping into the community.

It also strikes me that Greyhound have had some bad press of late through no fault of their own.

Wendy said...

Scary indeed! I hope they find those passengers ASAP

Rambling Woods said...

Another one..I haven't heard of this one on the news...