WHO Declares Vietnam First Country to Control SARS

The WHO declared Vietnam as the first country to contain its SARS outbreak.

Vietnam had five deaths from SARS after the virus spread in February through Hanoi's international hospital. There was about sixty three people affected by the virus. However Hanoi French Hospital closed its doors, there by reducing the rate of infection and keeping SARS from spreading beyond its doors. No new cases of SARS have been reported from Vietnam since April 8. The country showed strong commitment at the highest level from the beginning of the outbreak. Vietnam has been able to show the world that there is hope that SARS can be contained. Carlo Urbani, a WHO communicable disease expert was the first doctor to note that a new disease had surfaced of potentially global proportions. He died of SARS later. After Mr. Urbani noted a new disease had struck and after it was dubbed SARS, the WHO determined that it had first surfaced in November in China's Guangdong province in November where officials at the time said people were suffering from a typical pneumonia. The disease was brought into Vietnam by a Chinese-American businessman who arrived from Hong Kong.