Health Scare on the Orient Express

Tired of politics and religion?

Let's talk potentially deadly infections instead.

A 24-year-old Chinese woman was taken off a Russian train on Wednesday, as well as all its other passengers, after she died suddenly. Fifty-three people are being held under quarantine for observation.

According to officials in the remote region about 850 kilometres east of Moscow, the 53 people are being held at a hospital infections ward, and the results of their diagnosis will be known Thursday.

News agency RIA-Novosti initially quoted a local doctor as saying at least four of the passengers had elevated temperatures and the woman could have died of an "atypical pneumonia".

Some reports quoted local medical officials expressing concern the woman could have died of the highly contagious Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) that has killed hundreds in Asia, but the local health ministry said it was too early to tell.

I'm glad they're taking things seriously.

You know what was the most intriguing part of the story? The photo of the front of the Russian train. Apparently things haven't changed much in the last 18 years. (Maybe it's the Red Star Express?)

One can only hope medical care has improved.

An Afterthought: Come to think of it, we've got Amtrak trains that are probably much older than that still running, and they're nothing to brag about either.