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 Photo: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS Epidemic panic A flu-like disease that started in southern China swept across many parts of the world, killing more than 700 officially (unofficial figures are nearly double that) and infecting an estimated 10,000 people. The SARS, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, epidemic caused panic as modern transportation means took the diseases across continents within days and discriminated little between poor and rich nations. A sustained worldwide campaign to eradicate and contain SARS, which broke out in March, ensured that no fresh infections were reported after July. The economy of nations put on the WHO watch-list, including Canada (Toronto, with a large ethnic Chinese population, was badly hit), took a downward turn and some are still struggling to recover. Alarmingly, scientists have not ruled out the possibility of a fresh outbreak even as they work overtime to find a cure for the dreaded disease. The good news, though, is that the SARS virus has been decoded. Text: Ramananda Sengupta Complete coverage: The SARS epidemic
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