Roy Wadia's timing could not have been better. The former CNN Headline News Asia director's arrival in Beijing on December 15 to take up a three-month appointment as the spokesman for the World Health Organisation, was perfectly timed for the re-emergence of Sars a week later.
He stepped into the media circus first in Beijing and again this past week in Guangzhou, where he was mobbed by local and Hong Kong reporters.
The WHO experts are a prime target for journalists because they know local authorities will not be as forthcoming with information.
A typical day for Mr Wadia this past week started at 7am and ended at one or two the next morning.
Throughout the day, he answers back-to-back phone calls from reporters seeking updates on the experts' activities and trying to nail down rumours about more Sars cases or even fatalities.
One recent evening he had taken five phone calls within half an hour before he dared to switch his phone off at 10.30pm to get a bite to eat.
