Since December 2019, the world has been combating a biological enemy—COVID-19. This article looks at how we arrived at this point and how we must be better prepared to battle the next Disease x, as the World Health Organization calls it.
SARS is unprecedented in many ways. For one, we may well be the first real epidemic of a globalised Asia. Second, it has prompted new measures put in place rapidly and with wide scope to counter the spread of the disease. How has SARS been perceived by the public and what are the social consequences of the outbreak and the responses? What can we learn about governance from the SARS outbreak? How will it impact on the planning of public health systems, much neglected in this region in the race for economic development in the era of globalisation?
