The legacies of SARS – international preparedness and readiness to respond to future threats in the Western Pacific Region
10.5365/WPSAR.2013.4.2.009
- Author:
Mackenzie John S
;
Merianos Angela
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- From:
Western Pacific Surveillance and Response
2013;4(3):4-8
- CountryWHO-WPRO
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
It is now 10 years since the world was faced with the first severe and readily transmissible new disease of the 21st century – severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Unknown and unrecognized, it emerged in late 2002 as the probable cause of an outbreak of atypical pneumonia in Guangdong Province, southern China. It then spread to Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (China) via an infected traveller who arrived at his hotel on 21 February 2003 where he infected 15 other guests. They, in turn, travelled to other countries carrying the new disease and initiating outbreaks in Viet Nam, Singapore and Canada. Three weeks later, with increasing numbers of cases among hospital staff in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (China) and Viet Nam, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a global alert on 12 March 2003 about this new acute respiratory syndrome of unknown etiology. However, the disease was spreading rapidly along major air routes, prompting WHO to issue an emergency travel advisory on 15 March, as well as naming the new disease “severe acute respiratory syndrome” and providing the first surveillance case definition.
