Mistakes to Avoid in Order to Stop the Outbreak of A New Global Virus: The Case of SARS in Taiwan

SARS is the first deadly new virus of the 21st century. Taiwan was particularly threatened by the corona virus in 2003. This contribution focuses on why the island was hit so hard. The country has very important commercial ties with China and Hong Kong, but is politically isolated. As a result, Taiwan is not a member of the WHO. The island, the 14th economic world power, is a leader in information technology and has a good expertise in biotechnology, two fields that proved useful in the fight against the virus. Many countries and firms decided to offer help to the island. Taiwan also shared its discoveries with the rest of the world. But despite many successes, the virus began to spread like fire in Taiwanese hospitals. This paper will try to analyze what went wrong and what mistakes could have been avoided.