2002–2004 SARS outbreak
The 2002–2004 outbreak of SARS, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV or SARS-CoV-1), infected over 8,000 people from 30 countries and territories, and resulted in at least 774 deaths worldwide.[1]
The outbreak was first identified in Foshan, Guangdong, China, in November 2002.[2] The World Health Organization (WHO) was notified of the outbreak in February 2003, and issued a global alert in March 2003. Initially, the cause of the outbreak was unknown, and some media outlets reported that an influenza virus was a potential culprit.[3] The major part of the outbreak lasted about 8 months, and the World Health Organization declared SARS contained on 5 July 2003. However, several SARS cases were reported until May 2004.[4]
In late December 2019, SARS-CoV-2, a strain of coronavirus closely related to the one that caused SARS, was discovered in Wuhan, Hubei, China. It spread to other areas of Asia, and then worldwide in early 2020. This strain causes COVID-19, which has caused the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has caused 7,050,691 confirmed deaths.[5][6]
Timeline[edit]
November 2002[edit]
On 16 November 2002,[11] an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) began in China's Guangdong province, bordering Hong Kong. The first case of infection was traced to Foshan.[12][13] This first outbreak affected people in the food industry, such as farmers, market vendors, and chefs.[14][15] The outbreak spread to healthcare workers after people sought medical treatment for the disease.[15] The People's Republic of China notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about this outbreak on 11 February 2003, reporting 305 cases including 105 health-care workers and five deaths.[16] Later it reported that the outbreak in Guangdong had peaked in mid-February 2003. However, this appears to have been false because subsequently 806 cases of infection and 34 deaths were reported.[17] Italian physician Carlo Urbani was the first to identify SARS as probably a new and dangerously contagious viral disease.[18][19]
Early in the epidemic, the Chinese government discouraged its press from reporting on SARS, delayed reporting to WHO, and initially did not provide information to Chinese outside Guangdong province, where the disease is believed to have originated.[20] Also, a WHO team that travelled to Beijing was not allowed to visit Guangdong province for several weeks.[21] This resulted in international criticism, which seems to have led to a change in government policy in early April.[22][23]
January 2003[edit]
A fishmonger, named Zhou Zuofen, checked in to the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital in Guangzhou on 31 January, where he infected 30 nurses and doctors. The virus soon spread to nearby hospitals.[24]
Policy impact[edit]
In China, the SARS epidemic resulted in substantial public criticism, prompted government statements that privatizing health care in rural China had been a failure, and brought rural reform to the top of the policy agenda.[86]: 104–105
Following the outbreak, China strengthened its reporting mechanisms for contagious diseases and reduced the reporting time from grassroots healthcare worked to the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention from 15 days to 4 hours.[87]: 67