There were many lessons learnt in Singapore’s fight against SARS, and they have proven to be all the more important in our preparations for an influenza pandemic. The following lessons are discussed in this paper including: the widespread ramifications among the various sectors in Singapore (individuals, organizations, community and economy), the first principles of outbreak response, need for enhanced infectious disease control measures, high demands on the healthcare system, the role of management policies implementation and dissemination, multidisciplinary involvement, importance of communication, and business continuity planning.

Keywords: SARS, lessons, Singapore, business continuity, outbreak response

Dr Gregory Chan, Adj Assist Prof, Department of Community, Occupational and Family Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore and Head Performance Maximisation Branch, Navy Medical Service

D Koh, Professor, Department of Community, Occupational and Family Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore

Correspondence:
Dr Gregory Chan,
Department of Community
Occupational and Family Medicine
Faculty of Medicine (MD3), 16 Medical Drive, Singapore 117597.
Tel: +65-68744989
Fax: +65-67791489.
Email: gregchan@nus.edu.sg