Collateral damage: the unforeseen effects of emergency outbreak policies.
The 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome took the province of Ontario, Canada, by surprise. A lack of planning and the decentralised nature of the health-care system meant that disruptive control measures had to be put in place to control the outbreak. Several of the control strategies were difficult to implement and resulted in considerable confusion, fear, and costs. We discuss these difficulties and offer suggestions for improving outbreak planning.
Lim
Sue
S
Infection Prevention and Control Unit, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Closson
Tom
T
Howard
Gillian
G
Gardam
Michael
M
D002170:Canada; D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000379:methods*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D009864:Ontario / Q000453:epidemiology; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*