Fueled by press criticism and considerable pressure from the global health community to prove that it was doing something, the Chinese government jumped into gear. The World Health Organization praised China’s actions and credited them with the success of the global SARS containment effort. 1 public health goal became to never again be the source of a global epidemic like SARS. Scientists should do their jobs in tracking and studying this new disease, without inciting public panic. Katherine A. Mason is an assistant professor of anthropology at Brown University and author of “Infectious Change: Reinventing Chinese Public Health After an Epidemic.”

Source: Los Angeles Times January 31, 2020 19:18 UTC