SARS and International Education in China: Response, Impact and Repercussion

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is classified within the taxonomy of virology as 'coronaviridae', a coronovirus that has apparently mutated from livestock, ducks, and other domestic animals into the human population. Its symptoms mirror that of 'atypical pneumonia', which primarily affects the respiratory system, but it can also involve the digestive system. Although its original source is still under scrutiny, the disease was reported to have claimed the lives of five people and infected more than 300 people from Guangdong Province, China on 16 November 2002. The underlying question is why did a newly identified disease cause so much havoc in China, which has a population of over 1.26 billion people excluding Taiwan (Lonely Planet China 2000;56)? First there is the fact that SARS is highly infectious. Given China's dense population, health conditions, and variable weather patterns, there was great concern that this disease would become a pandemic. Before proceeding as to how SARS has impacted international education in China, this paper will attempt to provide an overview of the Chinese, a brief understanding of the higher education system in China, and an outsider's perspective on the opportunities that present themselves in the field of international education both inside and outside of China.