Table 2.
Summary of the main SARS control measures implemented in the reviewed countries/regions, by date of onset (if available)
| Milestones in the control of SARS | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Control measures | China mainland | Hong Kong (SAR)* | Singapore† | Taiwan (RoC)‡ | Vietnam§ | Canada¶ | |
| (Beijing & other regions)** | (Guangdong Province)†† | ||||||
| Date of SARS onset‡‡ | 2 March 2003 | 16 November 2002 | 15 February 2003 | 25 February 2003 | 25 February 2003 | 23 February 2003 | 23 February 2003 |
| Removed from WHO list of areas with recent local transmission§§ | 18 June 2003 | 7 June 2003 | 22 June 2003 | 31 May 2003 | 5 July 2003 (outbreak contained) | 27 April 2003 | 2 July 2003 |
| Start of mandatory SARS notification | 8 April 2003 | 3 February 2003 | 27 March 2003 | 17 March 2003 | 28 March 2003 | 3 March 2003 | 25 March 2003 |
| Mandatory quarantine for SARS | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Regular SARS case reporting to the WHO | Approximately 20 April 2003 | NA | Approximately 11 March 2003 | Approximately 14 March 2003 | Approximately 14 March 2003 | Approximately 3 March 2003 | Approximately 14 March 2003 |
| Epidemiologic investigation of SARS cases and active close contact tracing | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Dissemination of case definition as per WHO or modified version | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Home quarantine of close contacts of probable SARS cases 10–14 days | 21 April 2003 | 27 March 2003 | 10 April 2003 | 24 March 2003 | 18 March 2003 | Y | 24 March 2003 |
| Collective quarantine in groups/Institutions | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | ||
| Isolation of probable SARS cases | Y | Y | 11 March 2003 | 6 March 2003 | 15 March 2003 | 5 March 2003 | 13 March 2003 |
| Isolation of suspect cases | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Designated SARS hospitals | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Infection control guidelines for hospitals & HCWs | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Triage facilities/fever clinics | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | ||
| Travel advice and exit screening | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Official public information on SARS & prevention | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
Y, yes; N, no; blank, information was not available; NA, not applicable.
*Data from SARS (2003), Tsang and Lam (2003), Whaley and Mansoor (2006).
†Data from 2005, 2006), Goh et al. (2006).
‡Data from CDC Taiwan (2003), Maloney et al. (2006).
§Data from Thuong (2003), Pascale and Cheng (2006).
¶Data from Health Canada (2003b), Varia et al. (2003), Svoboda et al. (2004).
**Data from Pang et al. (2003), Liang et al. (2004), Balasegaram and Schnur (2006).
††Data from Xu et al. (2004).
‡‡Data from WHO (2003b).
§§Data from WHO (2003d) (Country was removed from WHO list 20 days after the last reported case was isolated or died).