INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN SANITARY AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL LEGIS-LATION AND ITS RESPONSE TO SARS

Abstract In the current era, the centuries-old strategy of quarantine is becoming an increasingly prominent element of public health responses to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. During the 2003 pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome, the implementation of quarantine, border controls, contact tracing, and surveillance strategies proved effective in containing the global threat within just over three months. For centuries, these practices have constituted the cornerstone of organised responses to infectious disease outbreaks. However, the use of quarantine and other measures for controlling epidemic diseases has always been controversial due to the political, ethical, and socioeconomic issues they raise. It requires a careful balance between public interest and individual rights. In a globalised world that is becoming increasingly vulnerable to communicable diseases, a historical perspective can help clarify the use and implications of this still-valid public health strategy.