Evolution of Health Provision in Pre-SARS China: the Changing Nature of Disease Prevention

A major player on the world stage, China influences nearly all spheres of international interaction. The global community was reminded of this fact in 2003, when Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) became the first epidemic of global scope in the 21st century. The disease, originating in China's Guangdong Province, spread to over thirty countries, killing more than 800 people while negatively impacting international trade and transportation and inspiring fears of a global pandemic. Following the outbreak, China's disease prevention and control mechanisms came under fire by international public health experts who had hailed China's pre-reform health care system as a model for reducing incidences of infectious diseases in developing countries.¹