Manila, 4 May 2006 – What single event in southern China was the likely start of the SARS epidemic? What strange combination of events on the ninth floor of a Hong Kong hotel sent the virus on its deadly journey around the world? And why is one ill-fated flight from Hong Kong to Beijing still remembered with fear? These are some of the questions answered in the ultimate account of those dramatic days of 2003 when it seemed severe acute respiratory system would bring the world to its knees.
"SARS: How a global epidemic was stopped" contains information never before brought together in one publication. At over 300 pages, the book tells the total SARS story, with exclusive details of all the major incidents that made the disease such an exceptional phenomenon.
Written largely by the public-health experts and scientists who were at the centre of the battle, "SARS: How a global epidemic was stopped" will serve as an indispensable guide to the science of SARS, providing a detailed account of the clinical symptoms associated with the disease, the unravelling of the genetic secrets of the SARS coronavirus and the development of vaccines and diagnostics.
The book is published by the Western Pacific Regional Office of the World Health Organization. It will be available in bookshops later this month or can be ordered online.
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