The SARS Epidemic in Hong Kong – A Human Calamity in the 21st Century

Summary

Purpose: This paper reviews the epidemiology and control measures of the SARS epidemic in Hong Kong. It sets out proposals for better preparedness to tackle the disease in future.

Background: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) started to strike Hong Kong in March 2003. A total of 1,755 SARS cases with 298 deaths were reported. Prior to the occurrence of the disease in Hong Kong, an intense outbreak of atypical pneumonia was reported in the nearby Guangdong Province in Mainland China.

Results: There were three phases in the epidemic. The first phase in March 2003 involved a teaching hospital. The infection originated from a visiting professor from Guangdong, He developed SARS in Hong Kong and died in a Hong Kong hospital. The second phase in April was the spread of the infection from the hospital to the community. The third phase in May was the declining period which ended in June following the removal of Hong Kong from the list of infected areas by WHO.

Conclusion: Hong Kong was ill prepared at the early stage of the epidemic. The epidemic produced not only health but also social, economic and humanitarian problems. The epidemic, however, created a strong sense of unity among all sectors of the population in the fight against the disease.

Keywords

SARS - epidemiology - etology - informatics - control - surveillance

• References

• 1 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Statistics, Mainland China, up to July 14, 2003. [cited; Available from. http://168.160.224.167//sarsmap/.
• 2 Chan J. SARS epidemic triggers political crisis in China. [cited; Available from. http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/may2003/sars-m03.shtml.
• 3 Tsang W, Ho L, Ooi C. et al. A Cluster of Cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in Hong Kong. The New England Journal of Medicine.
• 4 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Statistics, March-June. Hong Kong: Department of Health; 2003
• 5 WHO Update 86 – Hong Kong removed from list of areas with local transmission.
• 6 Case definitions for surveillance of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). WHO.;
• 7 WHO – Cumulative Number of Reported Probable Cases of SARS, March to July. 2003
• 8 Outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome – Worldwide. CDC Update 2003; 52 (12) 241-8.
• 9 Heymann D. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Global Alert, Global Response: WHO, CDC; June 15 2003
• 10 Tomlinson B, Cockram C. SARS: experience at Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong. The Lancet 2003; 361: 1486-7.
• 11 Outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) at Amoy Gardens, Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong. Main Findings of the Investigation. Hong Kong: Dept. of Health; April 17 2003
• 12 WHO Environment Health Team Reports on Amoy Gardens: WHO Regional Office for Western Pacific.
• 13 SARS in Hong Kong: from Experience to Action. Report of the SARS Expert Committee, October 2003. Chapter 3 – The SARS Epidemic; p.52. 2003 [cited; Available from. http://www.sarsexpertcom.gov.hk/english/reports/reports.html.
• 14 Peiris M, Lai S, Poon L. et al. Coronavirus as a possible cause of severe acute respiratory syndrome. The Lancet 2003; 361: 1319-25.
• 15 WHO Collaborative Network for SARS Diagnosis; A multicentre collaboration to investigate the cause of severe acute respiratory syndrome. The Lancet 2003; 361: 1730-3.
• 16 CDC lab analysis suggests new coronavirus may cause SARS. March 24, 2003 [cited; Available from. http://www.cdc.gov.ed/oc/media/pressrel/r030324.htm.
• 17 SARS in Hong Kong: from Experience to Action. Report of the SARS Expert Committee, October 2003. Chapter 3 – The SARS Epidemic; p.47. 2003 [cited. Available from. http://www.sars-expertcom.gov.hk/english/reports/reports.html.
• 18 Donnelly C, Ghani A, Leung G. et al. Epidemiological determinants of spread of causal agent of severe acute respiratory syndrome in Hong Kong. The Lancet 2003; 361: 1761-6.
• 19 Lee S. The SARS Epidemic in Hong Kong – What Lessons Have We Learned? Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 2003 (August).
• 20 Lee S. Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Government Printer; 1994
• 21 SARS: A WHO-Induced Panic? Far Eastern Economic Review 2003 (May 22).
• 22 Levett J. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS): Loud Clang of the Leper’s Bell. Croatian Medical Journal 44 (06) 485-91.
• 23 Taking hygiene to new levels – Hygiene Charter. Hong Kong: Centre for Health Education and Health Promotion, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine. The Chinese University of Hong Kong; 2003
• 24 Lau K, Ngai A. Hearts in Unity. Ming Pao Newspaper limited 2003 (June).