Asia is a particular standout, due to its experience with the SARS virus in 2003.
The SARS outbreak has highlighted the key role Internet can play in a global health emergency.
Health officials said several cases of Sars have also been discovered in Shanghai, China's second-largest city.
Meanwhile, the WHO has dismissed criticism that it has exaggerated the threat posed by Sars.
The epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002-03 suggested a wider exposure zone, however.
Experience with SARS and avian flu helped teach priorities and proper procedures, they said.
The SARS coronavirus appears to be different from all other known coronaviruses, including animal ones.
One theory has it that SARS originated in an animal and jumped to a human.
Yet while we're much better prepared, SARS still scares us ... sometimes into silence.
It might help scientists deal with sudden outbreaks like SARS faster and with more certainty.
Mexico could catch a break if the SARS virus persists or spreads in Asia.
Internet usage in China soared after SARS, which boosted the appeal of virtual encounters and e-commerce.
The WHO says Hong Kong, Singapore and Canada have now got the Sars outbreak under control.
There is as yet no cure for Sars, which first emerged in southern China last November.
Historical records of previous influenza pandemics, as well as experience with SARS, have validated this point.
On May 14th, Singapore reported a possible outbreak of SARS in its biggest mental hospital.
Economists think SARS could have a substantial impact on economic growth across the whole region.
Both American Airlines and United Airlines have blamed SARS, in part, for recent weak demand.
With the global economy already weak, SARS is an affliction the region could have done without.
SARS, researchers are homing in on two particular types of virus, coronaviruses and metapneumoviruses.
But Mr. Hartl said the new disease was unlikely to be SARS itself, because the symptoms differ.
In animals, as we've seen in SARS, some coronavirus patients die while others make a full recovery.
Its jobless rate could approach levels seen in 2003, during the outbreak of SARS, a respiratory disease.
More than 2, 600 people worldwide have developed SARS, and between 3% and 4% of them have died.
The WHO said that, unlike Sars, the new coronavirus, "does not appear to transmit easily between people".
It was also used by the government of Hong Kong to track the outbreak of SARS in 2003.
Although the novel coronavirus is from the same large family of pathogens as SARS, it is very different.
American authorities responded quickly to contain the spread of SARS, now at 149 suspected cases in 31 states.
There have now been almost 4, 000 probable cases of Sars worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
This compares to an R of 3 for SARS in 2003 and an R of 18 for measles.
应用推荐