He stayed at a hotel where the disease spread to four more people. When these people left the hotel and returned home, they spread the disease to Canada, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore. Over nine months, the number of global cases surpassed 8,000 and 774 people died. Although these numbers are much smaller than the number for other disease such as TB or flu, which kills millions every year, the outbreak was still very alarming for a few key reasons. No one really knew much about SARS as it was completely new to physicians. Doctors weren't sure how to treat it or prevent it and since most people had no natural defences against the disease, it was also harmful to the doctors and nurses treating the SARS patients. Hospital staff, especially nurses, made up 21% of the cases. Although aspects of modern life, such as widespread air travel, allowed the SARS epidemic to quickly expand across the globe,other aspects, such as improved communication technology and improved medical research techniques, allowed health experts the world over to share knowledge and work together to stop the virus in its tracks.
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