| Home > Resources > Leadership > Executive Summary > Case Studies Case Study 2003, Information about SARS Elusive The 2003 SARS epidemic was prolonged and unfolded gradually. The first known SARS cases emerged in mid-November 2002 in China's Guangdong Province. Four months later, China formally reported the outbreak to the World Health Organization (WHO), by which time at least 305 cases and 5 deaths had occurred. The disease made its way to Hanoi, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Toronto—where health officials and practitioners faced the urgent need to halt the outbreak, despite a dearth of clinical and epidemiological data. What's causing this illness? How is it spread? Who has been exposed and should be isolated? Why are so many health care workers getting sick? What is the best therapy? Scientists working non-stop as part of a global network took 4 weeks to identify a novel corona virus as the causative agent and another month to describe the mode of transmission. Many uncertainties about SARS still remain, including whether the virus may resurface in a more virulent form. Reference World Health Organization (WHO) Communicable Disease Surveillance and Response. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS): Status of the Outbreak and Lessons for the Immediate Future. 20 May 2003; Geneva: WHO. |
