2002–2004 SARS outbreak

The 2002–2004 SARS outbreak was an epidemic involving severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV or SARS-CoV-1). The outbreak was first identified in Foshan, Guangdong, China, on 16 November 2002.

Over 8,000 people from 29 different countries and territories were infected, and at least 774 died worldwide. The major part of the outbreak lasted about 8 months, since the World Health Organization declared SARS contained on 5 July 2003. However, several SARS cases were reported until May 2004.

In December 2019, SARS-CoV-2, a new strain of coronavirus closely related to the one that causes SARS, was discovered in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. This new strain is the cause of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.