Bird flu: what learned China from SARS? - China Weekly Hangout

Thermal imaging screens for SARS screening at Taiwan Taoyuan Airport (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ten years ago the Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) killed hundreds, infected thousands, brought China's economy to a standstill and derailed the life of many as they were put in quarantine by overzealous neighborhood committees, restaurants were empty and heat checks became normal. Now China is suffering from another bout of bird flu H7N9. What is China doing better, we ask ourselves in the +China Weekly Hangout  of Thursday 18 April.
Messages are mixed, to put is mildly. It took health authorities six weeks between the first hospitalized case, and when it issued the first warnings. Patients have to foot the bill for their treatment, possibly discouraging sick people to report at hospitals for treatment.
But internationally, China is praised for its speed and openness in trying to develop a vaccine. Also measures seem to be much more measured compared to ten years ago.
So, who is right?

Next week, we hope to get some reports from the affected regions and possibly compare our experiences with SARS with what is happening now.

The +China Weekly Hangout takes place at April 18, 10pm Beijing Time, 4pm CEST and 10pm EST.

You can register here at our event page, leave your comments at our event page. During the event you can participate by sending comments and questions via Twitter and Google+ (add hash tag #CWHCWH).
Update: Thanks to +Harm Kiezebrink an interactive map on the bird flu in China.

View H7N9 Pandemic Cases & Sequences in a larger map

Can China innovate itself, the +China Weekly Hangout wondered in October 2012, in a session with +Janet Carmosky, +G. E. Anderson , moderated by +Fons Tuinstra of the +China Speakers Bureau .

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