Organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), an agency of the United Nations, watch for infectious diseases and try to prevent outbreaks from spreading worldwide. In early 2003 WHO epidemiologists learned that a lethal type of pneumonia of unidentified cause that originated in mainland China was quickly spreading to other countries. The disease, known as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), starts with a fever, chills, headache, and malaise. Two to seven days later some people develop a dry cough and trouble breathing and, in some cases, die. In March 2003 WHO issued an international alert, designating SARS as a worldwide health risk. The alert prompted public health officials from nations around the world to establish procedures to identify and isolate SARS cases and possibly prevent the illness from reaching epidemic proportions.
Considering the implications of last year’s SARS outbreak are surely one such task for our life ahead. As winter approaches and a seasonal renewal of upper-respiratory infections such as SARS threatens, policy makers around the world must look to the past to observe the successes and learn the lessons of last year's outburst. (Breiman RF, Evans MR, Preiser W, Maguire J, Schnur A, Li A,2003)
Although the first cases of SARS occurred in China's Guangdong Province last November, the first official report on SARS was not made to World Health Organization (WHO) until Feb 11 2003. This interruption contributed to the rapid spread of SARS around the world, primarily through air travel. The forces of globalization both drove the spread of SARS and are the key to its successful control. Current travel and labor migration patterns helped spread the disease, and global links amplified its political and economic impact. Concurrently, modern communication and science alerted the world to the disease and facilitated a strong public health response.........
