In The News

A Beijing Doctor Questions Data on Illness

Elisabeth Rosenthal April 10, 2003
Beijing is lying about number of cases, retired military doctor says.

Virus sows seeds of regional mistrust- Thai Prime Minister

April 9, 2003
According to Thailand’s Prime Minister, the spread of SARS is undermining regional cooperation in South East Asia due to the mistrust between different nations in the region. SARS has adversely affected the tourism industry in Thailand. Taiwan has protested its inclusion, by Japan, Thailand and China, as a SARS affected State. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has criticized China for...

In Chinese Village, Few Clues to Illness

John Pomfret April 9, 2003
WHO researchers hoping to find the causes of SARS were disappointed when they searched an unimposing village in southern China, the purported epicenter of the mysterious disease. Many scientists suspected that SARS could be a case of a new animal virus affecting humans, but the village was no longer agricultural and few animals were found there. As scientists continue their searches, improved...

Lessons from SARS

Christine Loh April 9, 2003
Although Hong Kong enjoys one of Asia's best public health systems, the spread of SARS has shown that even its well-run government has room for improvement. The former British colony's re-integration with China in 1997 has led to a booming expansion of trade and people flows across the border with southern China, but at the cost of increased vulnerability to epidemics such as SARS. To...

Respiratory Disease Is Found to Be Spreading

Lawrence K. Altman April 8, 2003
On March 15th, the World Health Organization issued a global health alert for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), a new disease originating in Asia for which the cause and cure remain unknown. Since then, many countries have taken precautionary steps to prevent SARS from entering their borders. But international travel available to billions has provided the perfect medium for the disease...

China’s Workers Risk Limbs in Export Drive

Joseph Kahn April 7, 2003
In recent years, China has become the “world’s factory” for labor-intensive goods. However, the factories producing these goods often lack safe machinery or appropriate oversight. As a result, accidents that result in a lost limb or a life have increased, especially among the migrant laborers who work at these factories. Even though statutory laws are in place governing safety and compensation...

Use SARS as Excuse to Reinvest in Taiwan

Huang Tien-lin 黃天麟 April 7, 2003
SARS is frightening, but so is the 'economic Sinocization' that threatens Taiwan, says Huang Tien-lin, a national policy adviser to Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian. In this opinion piece from the Taipei Times, Huang suggests that by encouraging Taiwanese businesspeople to stay home in relatively safe Taiwan, "the [SARS] crisis will not only boost the nation's GDP but...