Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

The spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003 represented the first global infectious disease epidemic of the new century, affecting individuals in 29 countries. From February to May 2003, over 8,000 SARS cases were identified worldwide, with a 10 percent fatality rate. The epidemic had significant economic repercussions in many sectors, but those related to hospitality, tourism, and the service industry were directly impacted by a dramatic decrease in travel to SARS-affected areas. Due primarily to the adoption and strict adherence to traditional public health measures such as contact tracing, isolation and quarantine, travel restrictions, screening at international borders, and the implementation of stringent infection prevention measures in hospitals, the epidemic was halted by July 2003. The epidemic demonstrated how developments that uniquely ...