As the global marketplace continues to reduce the size of the world, we not only embrace the languages, cuisine and customs of other cultures; we find ourselves in turn embraced by a growing array of deadly airborne pathogens. The most recent was SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), which some health officials believe will reappear this winter.
It was determined that the primary cause of SARS was a coronavirus. But before the virus was put in check, 8,437 people worldwide became ill, of whom 813 died. Much blame for the spread of SARS beyond its origins in the People’s Republic of China was attributed to international air travel. Airlines were hit hard as passengers canceled travel plans. Singapore Airlines reported operational losses for the first time in its history, blaming reduced passenger loads. Business aviation travelers also canceled or sharply reduced their travel plans, in particular to SARS-infected areas.
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