Familiar foes

28 April 2009 By John Foley Follow @johnsfoley

SARS hit Asia hard in 2003, in part because there was no warning. But even with a headsup, Asian governments have less flexibility to respond now. Stimulus plans have stretched government budgets and the recession is hurting export revenues. Antiflu measures will slow recovery.

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Asian countries were on alert for cases of socalled swine flu after an initial outbreak in Mexico and the US spread to other countries including Spain, New Zealand and the UK. As of Wednesday, no cases had been confirmed in Asia but patients are being tested in South Korea and in Australia.

SouthEast Asia is better prepared for outbreaks following its past experience with Severe Acute Respiritory Syndrome (SARS) and avian flu, said a spokesman for the Association of SouthEast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on April 27.

SARS originated in China in 2002 and hit the surrounding region in the first half of 2003. Hardest hit in Asia were China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. The death toll reached 774 – roughly 10% of those known to have been infected.

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