Responding to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) pandemic of 2002--2003: A comparative account of public health strategies in China, Canada, Singapore, Vietnam, and the United States

Early in 2003, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was first reported in China's Guangdong Province. It secured a foothold in Hong Kong and quickly spread to countries all over the globe along international air routes. By July 2003, the number of cases had grown to over 8000 with nearly 850 deaths in more than 30 countries worldwide. The public health ramifications of this pandemic cannot be understated.; A variety of control measures were instituted in these countries in response to the SARS pandemic. These strategies were met with widely varying success. I intend to make a comparative account of the public health control measures implemented across these countries in order to derive important lessons learned from this pandemic. Utilizing these lessons learned, I propose a public health response model that offers recommendations for local, national, and international organizations to prepare for future disease outbreaks with similar modes of transmission.