Editorial: Remember SARS as More than a Disease

China should not remember SARS as a period of panic or as evidence of weaknesses and failings in the Chinese government, this editorial in an official Chinese paper says. Rather, the rapid defeat of the disease should evince the dedication, energy, and lightning speed of China's "efficient and centralized command team." The editorial downplays the secrecy that allowed SARS to spread as merely "clogged information flow," and goes on to laud “authentic and instantaneous publicity” about the disease that helped to contain it. It presents the government's triumph over the disease as proof that the centralized response system works, even if further development is needed. Nevertheless, the editorial acknowledges that if an outbreak like SARS is to be prevented in the future, existing policies must be implemented more comprehensively. "Creeds or doctrines, guidelines or policies, can take effect only when they are localized and substantiated accordingly, because China is huge, and there are huge disparities in different areas," the editorial concludes. – YaleGlobal