In fact, the sooner cities moved to limit public gatherings or isolate patients, the less severe their experience tended to be -- as much as an eight- or ninefold difference in case and death rates, he says.

CNN: Scientists dig for lessons from past pandemics

If lenders had had better information about the borrowing of South Korea's private sector or the reserves of Thai banks, they would have pulled back sooner, and the eventual problems would have been less severe.

ECONOMIST: Keeping the hot money out