"The findings also indicate that poorly designed or maintained plumbing could contribute to the spread of other diseases that are transmitted by highly infectious fecal droplets. " (Poor Plumbing a Likely Cause of SARS Spread) The possibility has also been put forward in studies that the SARS outbreak in Hong king may have been facilitated by poor sewage and drainage systems
Briefly explain how the disease is transmitted to and among humans: The virus was transmitted from animals to people. The SARS outbreak originated from bats of the genus Rhinolophus, and its human emergence is believed to have been facilitated through intermediate hosts in the wet markets of southern China (Hughes & Wilson (2010), 1637)
The most recent outbreak was believed to have been successfully contained without spread into the general population. Despite concerns that new cases of SARS would emerge in the region, no new cases had been reported as of July 1, 2007 (Pinsky, (2010), p
This was unfortunate, because the WHO was working hard especially on containment. A lot of research needed to done quickly to determine what the vectors were, for example, and the WHO was able to commit its laboratories and funding to that end (Aguirre, 2003)
Cities like Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Dongguan are all major manufacturing hubs, the former two also shipping hubs. SARS was a form of pneumonia, and spreading from Guangdong it infected 1622 people in 13 countries, causing 58 deaths (Cyranoski, 2003)
But SARS had pandemic risk. Experts warn that had SARS not been contained, it could have cost the global economy $3 trillion, or 5% of GDP, and likely it would still be a lingering issue (Frangoul, 2014)
63%. It is also worth considering that these areas face a lingering country risk premium, meaning that businesses and travelers were for years less likely to go to these areas out of concerns for future outbreaks (Lee & McKibbin, 2004)