Progress of the SARS outbreak
Encyclopedia
November 2002
On November 16, 2002, an outbreak of what is believed to be severe acute respiratory syndromeSevere acute respiratory syndrome
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome is a respiratory disease in humans which is caused by the SARS coronavirus . Between November 2002 and July 2003 an outbreak of SARS in Hong Kong nearly became a pandemic, with 8,422 cases and 916 deaths worldwide according to the WHO...
(SARS), began in the Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
province of China, which borders on Hong Kong. The first case of infection was speculated to be a farmer in Foshan County
Foshan
Foshan is a city in central Guangdong province in southern China. The prefectural area under the city's jurisdiction over an area of about 3,840 km² and a population of 5.4 million of which 1.1 million reside in the city proper ....
. The People's Republic of China (PRC)
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
notified the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
(WHO) about this outbreak on February 10, reporting 305 cases (including 105 health-care workers) and 5 deaths; it was later reported that the outbreak in Guangdong had peaked in mid-February, but that appears to be false, as later 806 infections and 34 deaths were reported.
Early in the epidemic, the PRC discouraged its press from reporting on SARS and lagged in reporting the situation to the World Health Organization, delaying the initial report. Initially, it did not provide information for Chinese provinces other than Guangdong, the province where the disease is believed to have originated.
For example, a WHO team that travelled to Beijing was not allowed to visit the Guangdong province for several weeks. This resulted in international criticism which seemed to have caused a change in government policy in early April. The PRC Health Minister has apologized for early delays in reporting and has been holding regular press conferences. The PRC government appears to have issued directives that the press should not refrain from stating bad news and that government officials should accept media supervision.
February 2003
On February 21, Liu Jianlun, a 64-year-old a Chinese doctor who had treated cases in Guangdong arrived in Hong Kong to attend a wedding. He checked into the Metropole Hotel (the ninth floor - room 911). Although he had developed symptoms on February 15, he felt well enough to travel, shop, and sight-see with his brother-in-law. On February 22 he sought urgent care at the Kwong Wah HospitalKwong Wah Hospital
Kwong Wah Hospital is a major hospital in South Kowloon of Hong Kong. It is located at Waterloo Road in Yau Ma Tei.The former Main Hall Building of Kwong Wah Hospital is preserved and houses the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Museum.-History:...
and was admitted to the intensive care unit. He died on March 4. About 80% of the Hong Kong cases have been traced back to this doctor.
On February 23, a 47-year-old Chinese-American businessman (Johnny Chen, a Shanghai resident) who had stayed on the 9th floor of the Metropole Hotel (across the hall from the Chinese doctor) travelled to Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. After his arrival he became ill and was admitted to The French Hospital of Hanoi
L'Hôpital Français De Hanoï
The Hôpital Français de Hanoi , known in Vietnam under the name Bệnh viện Việt Pháp, formerly the Viet Nam International Hospital, is a privatised hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam, sold to a French company in September 2000. It is located at 1 Phuong Mai, Dong Da, Hanoi...
on February 26. Seven days later, on ventilator support, he was medically evacuated to Hong Kong but by then 7 hospital workers who had cared for him had already developed symptoms of SARS. He died on March 13. At least 38 health-care workers in Hanoi were infected with SARS.
WHO doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
Carlo Urbani
Carlo Urbani
Carlo Urbani was an Italian physician and the first to identify severe acute respiratory syndrome as a new and dangerously contagious disease...
, an infectious diseases specialist based in Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
who attended Mr Chen, noticed the outbreak among hospital workers there and first recognized SARS as a new disease. He initially suspected that it was avian influenza (bird flu).
On February 25, the 53-year-old brother-in-law of the Guangdong doctor attended the Kwong Wah Hospital. He was not admitted that day but his illness worsened and he was admitted on March 1. He died on March 19.
On the 25th, a businessman who had travelled in Hong Kong and Guangdong Province returned home to Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
, the beginning of the outbreak on the island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
of Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. Also, another person who was at the Metropole returned to Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
Almost all of those infected to date had been either medical staff or family members of people who have fallen ill. It is believed that all affected medical staff were not using respiratory precautions, a safety protocol that should fully protect medical workers, at the time of exposure. The various cases around the world are directly or indirectly traceable to people who have recently visited Asia.
March 2003
On March 4, a 27-year-old Hong Kong man who had visited a guest in Metropole (on the 9th floor) 11 days earlier was admitted to Prince of Wales HospitalPrince of Wales Hospital
Prince of Wales Hospital is a major public and teaching hospital located in Sha Tin, New Territories in Hong Kong. The hospital is affiliated with the Medical Faculty of the Chinese University of Hong Kong....
. At least 99 hospital workers (including 17 medical students) were infected while treating him.
On March 11 Carlo Urbani
Carlo Urbani
Carlo Urbani was an Italian physician and the first to identify severe acute respiratory syndrome as a new and dangerously contagious disease...
travels to Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
to attend a medical conference. On the flight he falls ill and upon arrival in Bangkok tells an awaiting friend not to touch him and to call an ambulance to take him to a hospital. He is isolated in an intensive care unit.
A similar outbreak of a mysterious respiratory disease is reported among healthcare workers in Hong Kong.
On March 12 WHO issues a global alert about a new infectious disease of unknown origin in both Vietnam and Hong Kong.
On March 15 WHO issues a heightened global health alert about the mysterious pneumonia with a case definition of SARS as after cases in Singapore and Canada are also identified. The alert includes a rare emergency travel advisory to international travelers, healthcare professionals and health authorities.
CDC issues a travel advisory stating that persons considering travel to the affected areas in Asia (Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam and China).
On March 17 An international network of 11 leading laboratories is established to determine the cause of SARS and develop potential treatments.
CDC holds its first briefing on SARS and says the first 14 suspected SARS cases are being investigated in the U.S.
On March 20, WHO reported that several hospitals in Vietnam and Hong Kong were operating with half the usual staff, because many workers stayed home out of fear of getting infected. WHO raised the concern that substandard care of the infected patients may contribute to the spread of the disease.
On March 25, Hong Kong authorities said nine tourists came down with the disease when a mainland Chinese man infected them on a March 15 Air China
Air China
Air China is the flag carrier and one of the major airlines of the People's Republic of China. Based in Beijing Capital International Airport, Air China is the world's 10th largest airline by fleet size. The airline ranked behind its main competitors China Southern Airlines and China Eastern...
flight to Beijing. SARS starts to hit Amoy Gardens
Amoy Gardens
Amoy Gardens is a high-density middle-class private housing estate in Hong Kong completed from 1981 to 1987...
Block E heavily.
The Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
Government enforced compulsory quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
of any infected person.
On March 27, Arthur K. C. Li, the head of the Hong Kong Education and Manpower Bureau, announced class cancellation of all educational institutions. The Ministry of Education of Singapore announced that all primary schools, secondary schools and junior colleges will be shut until April 6, 2003. Polytechnics and universities are not affected.
On March 29, Dr. Urbani died in Bangkok of a massive heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
.
On March 30, Hong Kong authorities quarantined the estate E of the Amoy Gardens
Amoy Gardens
Amoy Gardens is a high-density middle-class private housing estate in Hong Kong completed from 1981 to 1987...
Apartment due to a massive (200+ cases) outbreak in the building. The balcony was completely closed of all uses and guarded by the police. The residents of the building were later transferred to the quarantined Lei Yue Mun Holiday Camp and Lady MacLehose Holiday Village on April 1 because the building was deemed a health hazard. Most of the cases were tied to apartment units with a north-western orientation that shared the same sewage pipe. According to government officials, the virus was brought into the estate by an infected kidney
Kidney
The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...
patient (type of kidney illness has not been specified) who after he was discharged from Prince of Wales Hospital, visited and thus infected his elder brother living in a flat on the seventh floor. Through excretion the virus spread through plumbing. One speculated theory that supported airborne transmission was that the virus was spread through dried up U-shaped P-traps in the plumbing and was blown by a maritime breeze to the ventilation of the estate's balcony and stairwells. It was confirmed that the virus can spread via droplets, but this latest outbreak made the officials question the possibility of spreading through the air.
April 2003
On April 1, the U.S. government called back non-essential personnel in their consulate office in Hong Kong and Guangzhou. The US government also advised US citizens not to travel to the region.On April 2, Chinese medical officials began reporting the status of the SARS outbreak. China's southern Guangdong province reported 361 new infections and 9 new deaths, increasing the total Mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
figures previously reported at end-February. The virus was also detected in Beijing and Shanghai. The WHO also advised travelers to avoid Hong Kong and Guangdong during a press briefing. http://www.who.int/csr/sars/press2003_04_01/en/
A Hong Kong boy was also arrested for spreading rumors on the Internet that Hong Kong was being declared an infected area.
On April 3, a WHO team of international scientists landed in Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
from Beijing to discuss with officials but has yet to inspect any suspected origin or any medical facilities on progress of infection control. 15 of the quarantined Amoy Gardens
Amoy Gardens
Amoy Gardens is a high-density middle-class private housing estate in Hong Kong completed from 1981 to 1987...
residents at Lei Yue Mun Holiday Camp have been relocated to the Sai Kung Outdoor Recreation Centre after an overnight protest on washroom sharing. The first medical worker infected with SARS died in Hong Kong. The doctor was survived by a daughter and his infected wife who is also among the quarantined medical workers under intensive care. Hong Kong school closure was extended by two weeks to April 21.
On April 4, the WHO team inspected the first infection case in Foshan County. The male infected four people but did not infect his family. A 40-year-old woman became the first local case in Shanghai. A Chinese health specialist admitted at a press conference of not informing early enough on the outbreak. The PRC Health Minister also claimed that the disease has been under control in most parts of mainland China. He also released the names of seven drugs which he claimed to be effective in curing SARS. WHO officials said that the information provided by the PRC about the disease has been "very detailed". US government enforced compulsory quarantine of any infected person.
On April 5, the Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
government announced that school closure will be extended. Junior colleges will reopen on April 9, secondary schools on April 14 and primary schools and pre-schools on April 16.
On April 6 a SARS case was found in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, a person who had returned from Hong Kong.
On April 8, SARS starts to plague the Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate near Amoy Gardens in Kowloon. Hong Kong health officials warned that SARS had spread so far domestically and abroad that it was here to stay. Nevertheless, WHO officials remained cautiously optimistic that the disease could still be contained. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/09/science/sciencespecial/09INFE.html
On April 9, James Earl Salisbury died of SARS at a hospital in Hong Kong. An American Mormon and a teacher at Shenzhen Polytechnic
Shenzhen Polytechnic
Shenzhen Polytechnic is an educational institute in Shenzhen, China, founded in 1993.Shenzhen Polytechnic is located in Xili in Nanshan District. It has four campuses . According to its site, it has 21,000 full-time and 6,000 part-time students enrolled...
, he had been sick for approximately one month before his death, but was originally diagnosed with pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
. His son Michael "Mickey" Salisbury was with him in China and also contracted the disease, but survived it. Salisbury's death led to more open admissions by the Chinese government about the spread of SARS.
On April 10, Dr. Jim Hughes, the head of infectious disease at the CDC
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services headquartered in Druid Hills, unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, in Greater Atlanta...
, confirming the warnings of Hong Kong health officials, claimed that he believed that SARS could no longer be eradicated in the Far East. However, he remained hopeful that it could be prevented from spreading widely in North America. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2935111.stm
On April 11 the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
issues a global health alert for SARS as it becomes clear the disease was being spread by global air travel
Air travel
Air travel is a form of travel in vehicles such as airplanes, helicopters, hot air balloons, blimps, gliders, hang gliding, parachuting or anything else that can sustain flight.-Domestic and international flights:...
.
On April 12, Dr. Marco Marra, director of the Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, which is part of the British Columbia Cancer Agency, announced that scientists at his center had broken the genetic code of the virus suspected of causing the disease. http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s831165.htm In Toronto three more people die of SARS, bringing the Canadian death toll to 13.
On April 16, the WHO issued a press release stating that the coronavirus identified by a number of laboratories was the official cause of SARS. The virus was officially named the SARS virus. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/releases/2003/pr31/en/
Doctors were surprised to discover the occurrence of at least two cases of SARS in Dinnur, a village near Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, India. Poor hygiene and a lack of adequate trash disposal seemed to have hastened the spread of the deadly disease.
On April 19, Premier of the People's Republic of China
Premier of the People's Republic of China
The Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China , sometimes also referred to as the "Prime Minister" informally, is the Leader of the State Council of the People's Republic of China , who is the head of government and holds the highest-ranking of the Civil service of the...
Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao is the sixth and current Premier and Party secretary of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, serving as China's head of government and leading its cabinet. In his capacity as Premier, Wen is regarded as the leading figure behind China's economic policy...
announced that there would be severe consequences for local officials who do not report SARS cases in a timely and accurate manner, signalling at a major change in policy. (SARS had also been gaining prominence in the mainland Chinese media; by late April, it had jumped from virtual invisibility onto the front-page, with daily reports from all provinces on new cases and measures.)
On April 20, Beijing mayor Meng Xuenong and health minister of the PRC Zhang Wenkang
Zhang Wenkang
Zhang Wenkang was the health minister of China during the SARS outbreak who was sacked for mishandling the matter.Zhang was a supporter of former President Jiang Zemin. After he was fired, he was placed in various ceremonial positions.-References:...
were replaced respectively by Wang Qishan
Wang Qishan
Wang Qishan is a politician in the People's Republic of China who currently serves as the Vice-Premier in charge of economic, energy and financial affairs under premier Wen Jiabao. Previously Wang served in regional positions in Hainan and Beijing...
from Hainan
Hainan
Hainan is the smallest province of the People's Republic of China . Although the province comprises some two hundred islands scattered among three archipelagos off the southern coast, of its land mass is Hainan Island , from which the province takes its name...
and the former deputy health minister Gao Qiang
Gao Qiang
Gao Qiang is a Chinese politician and the former deputy minister and party secretary of the Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China....
. They are the first two high rank officials in the PRC to be dismissed because of the fallout of the epidemic. In the news conference chaired by Gao Qiang several hours earlier, the PRC admitted that in Beijing there are more than 300 cases, as opposed to the previous figure of only 37. One day later the figure has increased to 407. Chinese officials also admitted to major underreporting of cases, which were attributed to bureaucratic ineptitude.
April 22: Schools start to reopen in stages in Hong Kong.
On April 23, Beijing announced that all primary and secondary schools will be closed for two weeks. A few days before, some colleges in Peking University had been closed because some students had been infected. The WHO issues travel advisories against Beijing, Toronto, and Shanxi Provincehttp://edition.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/04/23/sars/.
On April 24, the Hong Kong Government announced a HK$11.8 billion relief package designed to assist Hong Kong's battered tourism, entertainment, retail and catering sectors, consisting of a waiver of tourism- and transport-related licence fees, and HK$1 billion allocated for tourism promotion overseas. The package also includes a salaries tax
Salaries tax
Salaries tax in the Hong Kong taxation system is direct tax and also classified as income tax.According to Cap.112 Hong Kong Ordinance, Inland Revenue Ordinance IRO Section 8, unless otherwise provided, salaries tax is chargeable on income from any office, employment and pensions for a year of...
rebate, and reduced rates.
On April 26, Wu Yi
Wu Yi
Wu Yi was one of four Vice Premiers of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, overseeing the country's economy until March 2008. Known as the "iron lady", Wu is one of the toughest negotiators in China's government.-Biography:...
was named Zhang Wenkang's replacement as PRC health minister.
On April 26-27, Chinese authorities closed down theaters, discos, and other entertainment venues in Beijing as the death toll in Beijing continued to rise, threatening to become the worst hit area of the country, eclipsing the Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
province. Authorities are bolstered by the fact that the infection rate seems to have declined, with the Guangdong region only exporting 3 new infections over the weekend. The economic impact is becoming dramatic as shops, restaurants, markets, bars, universities, schools and many other businesses have closed, as well as some government ministries and large state banks are working with minimal staff levels.
On April 28, WHO declared the outbreak in Vietnam to be over as no new cases were reported for 20 days.
On April 29, leaders of member countries of ASEAN and the PRC
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
premier held an emergency summit in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
in order to address the SARS
Severe acute respiratory syndrome
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome is a respiratory disease in humans which is caused by the SARS coronavirus . Between November 2002 and July 2003 an outbreak of SARS in Hong Kong nearly became a pandemic, with 8,422 cases and 916 deaths worldwide according to the WHO...
problem. Among the decisions made were the setting-up of a ministerial-level task force and uniform pre-departure health screening in airports.
On April 30, the World Health Organization lifted the SARS travel warning for Toronto. The decision was made because "it is satisfied with local measures to stop the spread of SARS".
Canadian officials say they will step up screenings at airports http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2986679.stm.
May 2003
On May 4 the newly infected number of people in Hong Kong drops to a single digit.On May 19 the WHO Annual Meeting is held in Geneva. Hong Kong pushes for the Tourism Warning to be lifted.
On May 20 the WHO refuses to lift the Tourism Warning.
On May 23, after a re-count of the number of SARS patients in hospital, WHO lifts the Tourism Warning from Hong Kong and Guangdong.
On May 24, the number of newly infected patients is zero for the first time in Hong Kong, since the outbreak in the city in March.
On May 24, a new cluster of about 20 suspected patients is reported in Toronto.
By May 29, more than 5000 people were quarantined in Canada by authorities seeking to control the potential spread of this new SARS outbreak.
On May 31, Singapore is removed from WHO's list of 'Infected Areas'.
June 2003
On June 23, Hong Kong is removed from WHO's list of 'Infected Areas'. The three places left on the list are Toronto, Beijing, and Taiwan.On June 27, the World Health Organization said the world population should be SARS-free within the next two to three weeks, but warned the disease could emerge in China next winter.
July 2003
On July 5, WHO declared the SARS outbreak contained and removed Taiwan from the list of affected areas. There have been no new cases for 20 days although around 200 people are still hospitalized with the disease.September 2003
On Sep 8, Singapore announced that a post-doctoral worker in a SARS research lab in the National University of SingaporeNational University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
contracts the disease while working on the West Nile virus
West Nile virus
West Nile virus is a virus of the family Flaviviridae. Part of the Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex of viruses, it is found in both tropical and temperate regions. It mainly infects birds, but is known to infect humans, horses, dogs, cats, bats, chipmunks, skunks, squirrels, domestic...
but recovered shortly thereafter. It was suspected that the two viruses mixed while he was doing his research.
December 2003
On Dec 10, a researcher in a SARS lab in Taiwan came down with SARS after returning from Singapore attending a medical conference, 74 people in Singapore were quarantined but none of them were infected.On Dec 27, China announced the first suspected case of SARS in six months in Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
, from the area the virus originated and in an individual who was not a SARS researcher.
January 2004
January 5: China confirms that the case reported in December is a case of wild source SARS. The PhilippinesPhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
announced a possible case in a person just returned from Hong Kong.
January 7: The Philippines announces that their possible SARS case is just pneumonia. China culls civet
Civet
The family Viverridae is made up of around 30 species of medium-sized mammal, including all of the genets, the binturong, most of the civets, and the two African linsangs....
s in markets, thought to be a reservoir for the disease.
January 10: A restaurant worker in Guangzhou province is confirmed as the second wild source SARS since the outbreak was contained. Guangzhou was also the site of the first case in December and is thought to be the origin of the virus in the original outbreak. Three Hong Kong television reporters who visited SARS related sites in Guangzhou were declared free of the disease.
January 17: China announced a third case of SARS in Guangzhou. WHO official urged more testing to bring the three recently announced cases into line with their standards; however they also announced SARS virus had been detected by a WHO team in civet cages at the restaurant where the second case works and in civet cages in the market.
January 31: China announced a fourth case of SARS as a 40-year-old doctor from the southern city of Guangzhou, and gave his family name as Liu. He was discharged when the announcement was made.
April 2004
On April 23, China announced first SARS death since June. A 53-year-old woman died on April 19. Two other cases, both health care workers, one of which was the deceased woman's daughter. A fourth case was suspected in another health care worker.The outbreak originated from a researcher working on the SARS virus in a lab at the Institute of Virology in Beijing, who inadvertently caught the disease and ended up spreading it to the nurse taking care of him.
May 2004
May 1: Two additional confirmed cases of SARS and three additional suspected cases are reported in Beijing, all related to a single research lab. The total number of cases is 6, with 4 in Beijing and 2 in Anhui Province.May 2: China announced the 3 suspected cases as genuine cases of SARS, bringing the total cases in recent outbreak to 9. 189 people were released from quarantine.
May 19: As no new infections are reported in a three-week period, WHO announced China as free of further cases of SARS.