The Lancet  
Mar 09, 2013  Volume 381  Number 9869  p777 – 874  e8
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Comment
SARS legacy: outbreak reporting is expected and respected
David L Heymann, John S Mackenzie, Malik Peiris

Preview |
On March 15, 2003, WHO declared that the new disease it called severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was a worldwide health threat. The disease emerged in late 2002, when an outbreak of atypical pneumonia began in Guangdong Province, China. It subsequently spread across the world via major air routes, reaching 29 countries on five continents. This international spread began when a doctor who had treated patients in China arrived in Hong Kong on Feb 21, 2003. His 1-day stay in a hotel led to infection of 15 others who carried the infection to hospitals within Hong Kong and in Vietnam, Canada, Singapore, the USA, the Philippines, and Australia.