Abstract
Given that viruses may not have adapted to human-to-human transmission during their initial emergence in humans, they may thus be easier to control; accordingly, early detection by surveillance of unusual outbreaks is essential. Our healthcare systems are very vulnerable to viruses with a particular tropism for hospital personnel. International collaboration by teams of epidemiologists as well as virologists was the key to success against SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). We were lucky in the fight against SARS, the virus was in fact moderately transmissible and then only after the onset of symptoms. It was thus possible to isolate cases before they became contagious. SARS provided a good "dress rehearsal" and educated the public authorities about the issues of infectious pandemics. The specific types of new epidemics cannot be predicted but they are inevitable.