Open AccessHow Our Healthcare System Failed During the SARS Outbreak
Author(s) -
Bianca Colarossi
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
sciential
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2562-1483
DOI - 10.15173/sciential.v1i1.1921
Subject(s) - outbreak , health care , toll , pandemic , death toll , medicine , health professionals , medical emergency , healthcare system , action (physics) , infectious disease (medical specialty) , covid-19 , disease , virology , environmental health , economic growth , immunology , pathology , physics , quantum mechanics , economics
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was an active pandemic in the spring of 2003, ravaging places such as Hong Kong and Canada. In Ontario, the healthcare system was extremely unprepared, hence resulting in a multitude of deaths, in which many were healthcare professionals. In contrast, Vancouver took the necessary precautions leading up to the outbreak, and the benefits of this can be seen in their low death toll. In the future, the Ontario healthcare system needs to learn from these mistakes by preparing personal protective equipment and educating healthcare professionals on proper infectious disease control protocol. This is a call to action for the Ontario healthcare system.