Showing the outbreak growth from atypical pneumonia to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). This timeline highlights some of the key developments in the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the use of technology. Return to SARS Overview

27 June 2003 The World Health Organization (WHO) reports a cumulative total of 8,450 probable SARS cases and 810 deaths have been reported from 29 countries. The cumulative case numbers reported by WHO began to decline on a daily basis this week.

26 June 2003 Following the removal of Hong Kong and Beijing from its list of areas with recent local transmission of SARS, the World Health Organization issues a statement that after almost four months, "the global public health emergency caused by the sudden appearance and rapid spread of SARS is coming to an end."

24 June 2003 The WHO lifts its recommendation that people postpone all but essential travel to Beijing, China. The city was the last area under such advisement and had been in effect since April 23.

23 June 2003 Hong Kong is removed from the World Health Organization's list of areas with recent local transmission of SARS. Twenty day, or twice the maximum incubation period, has passed since the last case reported in Hong Kong June 2. WHO officials call the action "significant," saying Hong Kong had one of the hardest outbreaks to control.

20 June 2003 The World Health Organization (WHO) reports a cumulative total of 8,461 probable SARS cases and 804 deaths have been reported from 29 countries. During June, the number of new cases has "gradually dwindled to the present daily handful," according to a WHO statement.

19 June 2003 Today marks one hundred days since the World Health Organization issued its first official warning to the world concerning the threat of SARS. The first cases of SARS are now known to have occurred in southern China in late November 2002. WHO officials declare that ”the global outbreak, at least in this initial phase, is clearly coming under control."

17 June 2003 The World Health Organization holds the first global conference on SARS in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The WHO convened the two-day conference to provide technical guidance for the ongoing and long-term response to SARS. WHO removes Taiwan from its list of areas to which travelers are advised to avoid all but essential travel. "The move follows vast improvements in case detection, infection control, and the tracing and follow-up of contacts that led to a steep drop in the daily number of new cases," according to a WHO statement.

16 June 2003 Since the outbreak of SARS, handset sales have suffered dramatically in the Asia/Pacific region. Nokia reports today that its handset sales dropped up to 30 percent during the second quarter in areas affected by SARS but that the demand was returning to normal levels. Motorola reported similar declines last week.

13 June 2003 The WHO removes Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi and Tianjin regions in China from its travel advisory list of areas travelers should avoid if possible. According to a statement from WHO officials, "the situation in these areas has now improved significantly. Information suggests that SARS is no longer a potential threat to international travelers to these regions." The advisories date back to 23 April.

4 June 2003 No new SARS deaths are reported today, marking the first time since 28 March that a day has passed without a fatality attributed to the SARS outbreak.

31 May 2003 Singapore is removed from the World Health Organization's list of areas with recent local transmission of SARS. The change in status comes 20 days after the last locally acquired case in Singapore was placed in isolation 11 May.

29 May 2003 More than 5,000 people are in quarantine in Toronto, including more than 1,500 students and teachers from a high school, as Canadian officials try to contain a new SARS outbreak. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports a cumulative total of 8,295 probable SARS cases and 750 deaths have been reported from 31 countries.

27 May 2003 Toronto is again placed on the World Health Organization's list of places with local transmissions of SARS. Toronto had been removed from the list 10 days ago. At a meeting in Geneva, the World Health Assembly, made up of representatives from 190 countries, unanimously adopts a resolution that recognizes SARS as the first severe infectious disease to emerge in the 21st century.

23 May 2003 The World Health Organization removes its recommendation that people should postpone all but essential travel to Hong Kong and Guangdong Province in China. The advisory to those areas was originally issued April 2.

21 May 2003 The Philippines is removed from the WHO's list of countries with a local SARS transmission. Countries are removed from the list after 20 days have passed with no new cases of SARS reported. A travel warning by the World Health Organization extends to all of Taiwan, not just the capital Taipei. As of today, Taiwan reports 418 probable cases of SARS, the third highest level after mainland China and Hong Kong.

20 May 2003 The World Health Organization releases a report entitled "SARS: Status of the outbreak and lessons for the immediate future." (PDF)

17 May 2003 The WHO adds China's Hebei province to the list of places that people should consider postponing all but essential travel to. Travel postponement recommendations had previously been in issued for Beijing, Hong Kong, Guangdong, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Taipei and Tianjin.

16 May 2003 The World Health Organization (WHO) reports a cumulative total of 7,739 probable SARS cases and 611 deaths have been reported from 29 countries. This represents an increase of 54 new cases and 13 deaths compared with yesterday.

15 May 2003 As a precautionary measure, the WHO recommends deferral of blood donations from SARS patients. The new guidelines are posted on the WHO Web site. The Health Protection Agency today reports the first confirmed case of SARS in the United Kingdom after laboratory testing provides a positive result for the SARS corona virus on one existing probable SARS case.

9 May 2003 More than 40 Web site operators have been warned to stop making unproven claims about products, such as air purifiers or herbal supplements, to prevent or treat SARS. The consumer protection warning was issued jointly by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Ontario's Consumer and Business Services Ministry. As of today, the WHO reports a cumulative total of 7183 probable cases of SARS worldwide. 514 deaths have been reported from 30 countries on six continents.

8 May 2003 The WHO recommends that people planning to travel to Tianjin municipality and Inner Mongolia in China and Taipei in Taiwan consider postponing all but essential travel.

7 May 2003 The first major epidemiological study of SARS indicates that the death rate may be higher than health officials had thought. The study, published in The Lancet, supports the WHO's assertion that the death rate is higher for elderly patients, particularly those with pre-existing health problems.Another study also published in The Lancet indicates that the virus has not mutated significantly but has remained stable as the illness spread internationally.

6 May 2003 Singapore is removed from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's travel advisory list of SARS-affected areas. The CDC advisory remains in effect for Taiwan and China as well as China's special administrative region of Hong Kong.

4 May 2003 Elementary and middle schools in Beijing are closed for an additional two weeks as Chinese officials continue to try to stop the spread of SARS. Schools have already been closed for several weeks and had been expected to reopen May 7. Despite Hong Kong health officials' assertions at the time, 12 former SARS patients did not suffer relapses. The patients were all found to be suffering from other medical problems.

2 May 2003 Xinhua News Agency reports that China bans foreign tourists from Tibet and other western regions of the country, amid mounting travel restrictions meant to stop the spread of SARS. Doctors at the Chinese University of Hong Kong complete genetic sequencing on virus samples taken from 11 SARS patients and find two forms of the illness in Hong Kong. This could indicate that the virus can mutate, which would complicate efforts to develop a vaccine and solid diagnostic data. Taiwan's legislature passes a $1.4 billion package of emergency measures aimed at tackling the spread of SARS and its potential damage to the country's economy.

1 May 2003 According to the WHO, Poland reports its first case of SARS. A cumulative total of 5,865 probable cases with 391 deaths have been reported from 27 countries. This represents an increase of 212 cases and 19 deaths from the day before. The deaths occurred in China (11), Hong Kong (5), Taiwan (2), and Singapore (1). The WHO adds Tianjin, China and Ulaanbaatar City, Mongolia to the list of areas with recent local transmission. The United States and the United Kingdom were removed from the list. In both countries, the last instance of local transmission occurred more than 20 days ago. Hong Kong health officials confirm that 12 SARS patients, who had apparently recovered, have relapsed after their discharge from a hospital. In Canada, health officials announce two new possible cases in Toronto this week, the first identified there in 11 days. The cases involve health care workers in two hospitals in the city.

30 Apr 2003 According to the World Health Organization, China reports an additional 166 probable SARS cases with 11 deaths, bringing the cumulative total to 3,460 cases and 159 deaths there. China now accounts for more probable cases than the rest of the world combined.

29 Apr 2003 The World Health Organization announces that SARS appears to have peaked and gone into decline in Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong, and had disappeared in Vietnam, although it is still spreading in mainland China and Taiwan. Citing an ebb in the SARS epidemic, the World Health Organization lifts a week-old advisory urging travelers to delay all nonessential visits to Toronto.

27 Apr 2003 Beijing authorities temporarily close public places such as cinemas and libraries and suspend the approval of marriages as part of stepped-up efforts to stem the spread of SARS.

26 Apr 2003 Health ministers from across Asia meet in Bangkok, Thailand to consider additional measures to deal with the threat from SARS. Possible measures include pre-travel checks on passengers and travel bans on suspected SARS sufferers and those they come in contact with.

23 Apr 2003 Approximately 2 million school children in Beijing will learn from home as the city closes its public school classrooms from April 24 through May 7. WHO extends travel warnings to include Beijing and Toronto and recommends postponing all but essential travel to those destinations. China sets up a national task force, known as the SARS Control and Prevention Headquarters of the State Council, to coordinate national efforts to combat the disease.

22 Apr 2003 The total number of SARS cases in China exceeds 2,000 - almost 25 percent are health care workers. Today, WHO reports a total of 3,947 SARS cases worldwide, with 229 fatalities.

21 Apr 2003 Beijing Mayor Meng Xuenong and China Health Minister Zhang Wenkang were removed from office and stripped of their Communist Party positions as the number of SARS cases jumps tenfold in a matter of days, largely due to underreporting by officials.

20 Apr 2003 More than 2,000 people may be affected in the largest quarantine action to date as the Singapore Minister of Health orders the city's largest wholesale vegetable market to close its doors after three workers contract SARS. China's State Council cancels the annual weeklong May Day holiday due to SARS.

19 Apr 2003 Hong Kong health officials reported 12 more fatalities from SARS, the highest number of death reported in a 24-hour period. Today, WHO reports a total of 3,547 SARS cases worldwide, with 182 fatalities, in 25 countries on five continents.

17 Apr 2003 All passengers departing from Hong Kong International Airport are required to have their body temperature taken before check-in.

14 Apr 2003 Canadian scientists publish the first full DNA sequence of the SARS virus, an important step in developing tests and treatment options. Other labs, including the U.S. CDC's coronavirus sequencing team, are reported to be close to achieving the same feat.

16 Apr 2003 According to WHO, a member of the coronavirus family never previously seen in humans is the cause of SARS. Scientists can now move toward developing treatments for SARS and successfully controlling this disease.

15 Apr 2003 Hong Kong schools start reopening in stages this week after being closed as a precaution since March 27.

14 Apr 2003 Canadian scientists publish the first full DNA sequence of the SARS virus, an important step in developing tests and treatment options. Other labs, including the U.S. CDC's coronavirus sequencing team, are reported to be close to achieving the same feat.

11 Apr 2003 One month after the first alert declaring SARS a global threat, WHO provides an overview of the disease and its status around the world and possible lessons for the future. Beijing, China is added to the list of affected areas, according to WHO. Areas are added to the list following indication that chains of local transmission of the virus are occurring.

9 Apr 2003 SARS deaths breach the 100 mark, with 106 fatalities reported by WHO. As of today, there are a total of 2,722 confirmed SARS cases worldwide, affecting approximately 18 countries.

4 Apr 2003 U.S. President George W. Bush signs Executive Order 13295, adding SARS to the list of diseases for which a person can be quarantined against their will. The list was last updated approximately 20 years ago. The U.S. National Institute of Health announces it has begun work on developing a vaccine for SARS.

3 Apr 2003 Hong Kong relocates citizens with SARS to holiday camps, resorts and rural isolation camps in an attempt to isolate infections from other citizens. Under mounting criticism at home and abroad, China announces that fighting SARS was a top priority and extends its cooperation with the World Health Organization. Chinese authorities update their total cases to 1,190 with 46 deaths and report SARS cases in four more provinces and municipalities: Guangxi (11 cases, 3 deaths), Hunan (11 cases), Sichuan (3 cases) and Shanghai (1 case).

2 Apr 2003 The World Health Organization issues a global travel advisory recommending that persons travelling to Hong Kong and Guangdong Province of China consider postponing all but essential travel. So far, the agent causing SARS has not been fully characterized and there is no certain treatment, vaccine or known other preventative measure. Chinese authorities update figures for the number of cases of SARS and deaths in Guangdong Province. Previous figures for Guangdong province were 792 cases of SARS and 31 deaths up to February 28, 2003. The new figures include data up to March 31, 2003 with 1153 cases of SARS and 40 deaths.

31 Mar 2003 The Hong Kong Department of Health issues an unprecedented isolation order to prevent the further spread of SARS, requiring residents of Block E of Amoy Garden housing estate to remain at home until midnight on 9 April. Amoy Garden is a large housing estate with approximately 15,000 residents. A total of 213 residents of the housing estate have been admitted to hospital with SARS.

28 Mar 2003 Chinese authorities agree to join the collaborative network of the World Health Organization to help contain the SARS outbreak.

27 Mar 2003 Hong Kong University, Chinese University, and Public Virus Labs, all located in Hong Kong and all devise a basic, but seemingly accurate diagnostic test. Despite alerts and precautions, a total of 1408 SARS cases and 53 deaths are reported. Romania reports its first 3 suspected cases. The Chinese Ministry of Health reports additional SARS cases in Beijing (10 cases and 3 deaths) and the northern province of Shanxi (4 cases, no deaths).

26 Mar 2003 Chinese authorities update their figures to 792 SARS cases and 21 related deaths in 7 cities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong since November 16, 2002. Several countries introduce maximum measures, including quarantine, to prevent the further spread of SARS. The World Health Organization hosts an electronic meeting that unites 80 clinicians in 13 countries.

22 Mar 2003 A team of scientists in the department of microbiology at the University of Hong Kong announce their success in culturing the viral agent that causes SARS. The team also makes progress in developing a reliable test for SARS. Email and teleconferences help scientists around the world collaborate and share their findings and save considerable time. With the help of technology, they accomplished what normally would take months in just a few days.

21 Mar 2003 The Chinese Ministry of Health requests assistance for epidemiological and laboratory support to aid ongoing investigation of a possible outbreak of SARS that began in the Guangdong Province in November, 2002. A team of experts from The World Health Organization travels to China to assist in the investigation. Canadian researchers release findings suggesting that the metapneumovirus, which belongs to the Paramyxoviridae family, may be the cause of SARS. WHO indicates optimism that a definitive announcement of the cause of SARS can be made soon. Suspected and probable cases of SARS, including 10 deaths, have been reported from 13 countries. Italy and the Republic of Ireland both report their first case. New cases were reported in Hong Kong (30), Singapore (5), Taiwan, China (2), Thailand (3), and the United States (2).

17 Mar 2003 The World Health Organization coordinates an international effort to identify and treat SARS and increases activities to bolster international response to SARS.

15 Mar 2003 The World Health Organization issues its first SARS-related emergency travel advisory. The advisory increases global awareness of SARS, alerts travelers and health staff to symptoms, and initiates prompt reporting of cases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States publishes a health alert warning about SARS to doctors.

14 Mar 2003 SARS spreads to Canada, Singapore and Vietnam indicating it is highly contagious.

12 Mar 2003 The World Health Organization (WHO) issues its first global alert about SARS.

26 Feb 2003 Doctors in Hong Kong report the first case of a flu-type virus “Atypical Pneumonia,” now more commonly known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Cases affecting medical staff who treated infected patients were also reported.

16 Nov 2002 Outbreak of a mystery flu type virus reported in Guangdong province in South China. Five people reportedly died.