SARS Toronto

About SARS Toronto

Toronto was the worst affected city outside Asia during the 2003 SARS outbreak. The virus arrived in February 2003 with a traveler who had been infected while staying at the Metropole Hotel in Hong Kong. Canada recorded 438 probable and suspect cases and 44 deaths, most of them in the Toronto area. The outbreak occurred in two waves. The first wave was controlled by April 2003. A second wave began in May after undetected transmission in a hospital setting, including cases linked to a religious group. The WHO issued a travel advisory against Toronto in April 2003, contributing to significant losses in tourism revenue. The advisory was lifted after one week. Healthcare workers were disproportionately affected, comprising a large share of all cases. The outbreak exposed weaknesses in infection control in hospitals. Ontario declared a provincial emergency. The Canadian government established the Public Health Agency of Canada in 2004 partly in response to SARS. The SARS Commission led by Justice Archie Campbell made recommendations for pandemic preparedness that influenced later responses.