SARS revisited - marking 10 years

Memories of the SARS outbreak of 2003 still haunt many nurses. As Ontario marks the 10th anniversary of the arrival of this perplexing disease, we reflect back on how it got here, and the challenges facing nurses during the height of the outbreak.

SARS revisited - marking 10 years

Lessons learned from SARS
by Melissa Di Costanzo

SARS left 44 people in Ontario dead – including three health-care professionals – and exposed a number of serious flaws in the province’s health-care system. Ten years have passed since the outbreak, and while nurses will never forget the turmoil it caused professionally and personally, they also acknowledge many important lessons were learned. The following six touch on what nurses believe will help Ontario cope with future epidemics… (read the full story) [1]

Key players respond to questions about RNAO’s role during SARS, and how transformative the outbreak was for Ontario
by Melissa Di Costanzo

The 2003 Ontario SARS outbreak was a difficult time for the health-care system. Below, you’ll find a collection of quotes from five Toronto RNs who describe the role of their professional association during the health emergency, and reflect, 10 years later, on how the epidemic changed them – both personally and professionally.(read the full story) [2]

Legacy RNAO SARS Resources

Nurses confront SARS (published in Registered Nurse Journal, May/June 2003) [3]
Behind the mask (published in Registered Nurse Journal, July/Aug 2003) [4]
Tribute to Nelia Laroza and Tecla Lin (published in Registered Nurse Journal, July/Aug 2003) [5]
Ready or Not (published in Registered Nurse Journal, Mar/Apr 2005) [6]
SARS unmasked [7]

External Resources

CBC News timeline [8]
Canadian Environmental Health Atlas timeline [9]