Part 1 Hong Kong's experience
It was the run on white vinegar, herbal remedies and antibiotics in Guangzhou that first hinted at something seriously amiss over the border in early 2003.
For weeks, text messages had fanned rumours of a mysterious pneumonia-like illness killing medical workers in Guangzhou. At first, Hong Kong was bemused by talk of Guangzhou residents boiling vinegar to fumigate their homes. But by the second week of February, white vinegar was flying off the shelves of supermarkets in Hong Kong.
So began the saga of what became known as severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars), the first severe infectious disease to emerge in the 21st century and pose a global threat to health.
The disease is thought to have had its roots in Foshan, Guangdong province, in November 2002. By August 2003, the killer virus had spread to 29 countries or regions, with 8,098 cases and 774 deaths reported. In economic terms, Sars cost East Asian economies about US$20 to US$25 billion, according to the World Bank.
An official Hong Kong Sars inquiry marks March 10 as the date the local epidemic began, when 11 health-care workers from ward 8A of Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin all went on sick leave. The epidemic lasted three months and infected 1,755 individuals, including 386 health-care workers. Of the 299 people who died, eight were health-care workers. Hong Kong was an eerie city of masks, empty streets and fear as it suffered its worst contagious outbreak in 50 years.