SARS What you need to know

toronto rn · May 30, 2003

Epaminondas- It is very easy for you to criticize. There isn't a country in the world which could have handled this outbreak with 100% effectiveness. No one knew what they were dealing with and answers are still being sought. If you rely on newspapers for your analysis and insights you are basing them on already biased information. There is no doubt that mistakes were made. There is no doubt that isolation practices were relaxed to soon. Hindsight is always 20/20. But putting things into perspective Toronto has a population of 4 million people, based on current information the chances of catching SARS in Toronto is less than 0.001% unless you are a health care worker. Most of the people affected in this latest outbreak are nurses. Quarantine prevents community spread and so far it has worked admirably. So criticize away. Being incognito on this board means you will never have to deal with such a situation or face the same scrutiny.

I thank the other nurses on this board who have been ultimately supportive and show the integrity and caring that the art of nursing is based on.