May 13, 2003
Kamloops Daily News



"It's bioterrorism without bioterrorists," says Michael
Bliss, professor of history at the University of Toronto. 
He was referring to the recent SARS scare in Canada. 
Reminiscent of September 11, 2001, North America was
terrorized by an external force - - this time a deadly
foreign microbial agent.

The disease with the redundant name, Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome, resulted in terror beyond reason. 
Although it killed 23 Canadians, other respiratory
infections kill far more. What was it about SARS that had
the ability to generate such fear?

Other biological attacks since September 11 have been
home-grown.  The Anthrax scare, for example,  originated
through letters sent in the U.S. mail.

Like the Anthrax scare in the U.S.,  a relatively small
outbreak in Canada created national panic. Of the 11
Americans infected by Anthrax inhalation, 5 died.  Most of
the Canadian SARS victims were already weakened by
underlying medical conditions.  SARS may be as common as the
common cold and Anthrax is not contagious. But that didn't
diminish the terror.

Other severe respiratory infections kill more.  Why weren't
we more concerned that 8400 Canadians died last year from
pneumonia,  760 from  influenza and 125 from tuberculosis? 
The SARS scare cost our economy millions, threw thousands
out of work in restaurants, hotels and the airline industry. 
The reputation Canada's biggest city - - Toronto the Good -
- was sullied.

That's the nature of terror.  Terror creates unreasonable
fear.  Fear strips away the veneer of  civilization and we
revert back to primal reflexes.  We hide in fear.  We blame
foreigners for our misfortune.  We superstitiously cling to
misconceptions.

The front line of public health protection barely held.  The
cuts to funding for health care that were initiated by
former federal finance minister Paul Martin in the early
1990s almost did us in.  By the time that SARS was under
control, public health was breaking down.  Nurses were burnt
out and resigning.  If the SARS infection had a slightly
stronger foothold, we would have lost the war.

Health care has been cut to the bone.  There is no surplus
capacity for the unexpected.  We have been seduced by
politicians into thinking we can reduce deficits by cutting
health care.

It's a similar naiveté that befell North America prior to
September 11, 2001.  Terrorism, like infectious disease in
the majority world,  is supposed to happen elsewhere.  One
million children die world-wide each year from a preventable
infectious disease, measles, according to the international
agency Doctors Without Boarders.  Do we care?

It's not supposed to happen here.  So, when a few dozen
Canadians die from a mysterious disease, all hell breaks
loose.  The deaths of thousands that resulted from the
attacks on New York and Washington were tragic but the
frenzied reaction was out of proportion.  Thousands of
Afghanis were collateral damage in the U.S. cleansing of the
Taliban.  But the deaths of thousands of foreigners was met
with a shrug.

Our public health care workers heroically gave their lives
in fighting the SARS.  They demonstrated the same spirit of
public dedication as the firefighters who climbed the stairs
of the doomed World Trade towers on September 11.  As those
rescuers climbed up, office workers ran down to safety.

As our doctors and nurses treated the sick and dying they
became infected by those they tried to cure.  Some died of
the disease given to them by patients.  Unlike New York
Mayor Rudolph Guilliani, no politician stepped forward to
give a voice to public heroism and Toronto's sick and dying.

There were no grand funerals for Canada's fallen health care
heroes.  No politicians stood in line to eulogize doctors
and nurses. No monuments have built to their dedication.

While the threat to public health and safety brought out the
best in health care workers, it brought out the worst in
others.  Some Canadians shunned fellow citizens because they
looked Asian.  Some infected Canadians selfishly refused to
quarantine themselves and spread their misery to others.

North Americans better get used to biological and political
terrorism made easy by globalization.  Capital moves at the
speed of light down an optical fiber, and bio-terrorism and
terrorists move at jet speed.

SARS should serve as a wakeup call to those politicians who
would cut health care funding further.  Next time,  our
first line of public health defence might not hold.

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