How Our Healthcare System Failed During the SARS Outbreak

Abstract

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was an active pandemic in the spring of 2003, ravaging places such as Hong Kong and Canada. In Ontario, the healthcare system was extremely unprepared, hence resulting in a multitude of deaths, in which many were healthcare professionals. In contrast, Vancouver took the necessary precautions leading up to the outbreak, and the benefits of this can be seen in their low death toll. In the future, the Ontario healthcare system needs to learn from these mistakes by preparing personal protective equipment and educating healthcare professionals on proper infectious disease control protocol. This is a call to action for the Ontario healthcare system.