Outbreak! How to fight a pandemic in a metropolis

Fast diagnosis and good sanitation are our best weapons in the uneven fight against a rapid outbreak of disease.

Amoy Gardens is a cluster of 19 tower blocks in Hong Kong, home to no fewer than 19,000 people – enough to populate several rural villages. In 2003, it became the dramatic focus of the world’s attention when 321 residents were diagnosed with severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS.