Hong Kong (CNN)In 2003, panic was setting in. The fatal severe respiratory syndrome (SARS) -- which first appeared in southern China -- had spread across borders, prompting schools to close in Singapore and hundreds to be quarantined in Hong Kong.
Back then, there were no high-speed trains linking Wuhan with other cities, and the southern province of Guangdong, where the outbreak started, felt very far away. Some people wore masks, others didn't.
Almost two decades later, Asia is on the brink of another pandemic, say experts. For many, it feels eerily similar to the SARS outbreak that infected over 8,000 people and killed 774 around the world between November 2002 and July 2003. SARS is also a type of coronavirus, which causes flu-like symptoms, and can mutate as it spreads from person to person.
In the past month, at least 41 people have died and more than a thousand people have been diagnosed as infected by the Wuhan coronavirus, a cousin of SARS. Cases have been reported in a number of countries, including the United States, France, and Singapore.
Back then, there were no high-speed trains linking Wuhan with other cities, and the southern province of Guangdong, where the outbreak started, felt very far away. Some people wore masks, others didn't.
Almost two decades later, Asia is on the brink of another pandemic, say experts. For many, it feels eerily similar to the SARS outbreak that infected over 8,000 people and killed 774 around the world between November 2002 and July 2003. SARS is also a type of coronavirus, which causes flu-like symptoms, and can mutate as it spreads from person to person.
In the past month, at least 41 people have died and more than a thousand people have been diagnosed as infected by the Wuhan coronavirus, a cousin of SARS. Cases have been reported in a number of countries, including the United States, France, and Singapore.