【明報專訊】The acronym SARS is now synonymous with fear because it reminds people of what happened on 12 March 2003. That day the World Health Organisation (WHO, 世界衛生組織) issued a global alert on atypical pneumonia (非典型肺炎), later known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS, 嚴重急性呼吸系統綜合症).

1. The disease

SARS is caused by a coronavirus (冠狀病毒). Its symptoms are similar to those of common flu, including fever, muscle pain and a sore throat. One may contract it when one comes into contact with a patient's droplets.

2. The outbreak

SARS first appeared in Shunde (順德), Guangdong (廣東), in early November 2002. It is thought that the first victims were infected by wild animals. In late February 2003, a mainland doctor who treated some SARS patients came to Hong Kong. He fell sick after he had checked in at a hotel. Because many medical workers fell sick after treating another patient from the same hotel by March 2003, Dr Joseph Sung (沈祖堯), who then headed the Department of Medicine & Therapeutics at Prince of Wales Hospital, ordered on 10 March 2003 that ward 8A be closed. The hospital stopped admitting or discharging patients. Two days later, WHO issued an alert on a new form of infectious disease in Hong Kong and Vietnam.

3. City under shades

To prevent a SARS outbreak in the community, the SAR government announced that people who had been in close contact with SARS patients should report to designated clinics every day. Classes were suspended on 29 March 2003. Students started receiving homework online or by post. Not until late April did some schools reopen. A few reopened as late as June that year. Students were required to have their temperatures checked and wear surgical masks.

Quite a number of residents of Amoy Gardens (淘大花園, photo) contracted the disease. The spread of the virus there was attributed to the poor design and lack of maintenance of the buildings' piping systems. Amoy Gardens residents were quarantined (隔離). Citizens feared the same would happen to them. However, the government was reluctant to tell the public where SARS patients lived for fear of causing a panic or discrimination. So some created a private website on which affected buildings were listed.

In such an atmosphere, anything might cause public turbulence. Mainlanders swept away vinegar and woad root (板藍根) tea from shop shelves because rumour had it that they could prevent SARS. A youngster duplicated the template of a newspaper's website and spread the news that Hong Kong would soon become a quarantine zone (疫區). Still there were helpful messages. For example, people were taught to clean their homes with diluted bleach and press buttons with keys to lower the risk of being infected. Shops and organisations tried to lift the city's mood with promotions, giving away goods or holding activities.

4. Aftermaths

WHO removed Hong Kong from the list of infected areas on 23 June 2003. As of 11 July 2003, 1,755 patients had been diagnosed with SARS or suspected of having contracted it in Hong Kong, of whom 299 died (including 7 medical workers). The whole world saw over 8,000 cases and 775 deaths in those months.

The traumatic experience has led to many changes. People are now more aware of the need to have good public and personal hygiene. They may wear a mask when they are sick.

To help the Hong Kong economy to recover, the central government signed with the SAR government a Close Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and introduced the Individual Visit Scheme (個人遊/自由行).

(photo by RTHK)