Outbreak! How to fight a pandemic in a metropolis

This picture taken on May 23, 2013 shows high rise buildings in Hong Kong. New government data underlined the housing crisis in Hong Kong where it estimated more than 170,000 people live in subdivided flats in Hong Kong, doubling official figures from 2012. AFP PHOTO / Philippe Lopez

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.