When SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) first broke out as a pandemic in November 2002, people became very scared to even ride a local bus, never mind board an airplane and fly to another country! But, with the biggest threat SARS has ever been behind us, people are wondering if they should still be wary of SARS in certain countries, or if all areas of the world are now safe to travel to.

Although governments never actually banned people from traveling to other countries due to the risk of SARS, travel to China, Singapore, Canada, and Vietnam slowed down considerably after the threat spread from Hong Kong to these other areas. Airports were filled with people wearing masks and gloves in order to keep them from obtaining the disease. But is all of this still really necessary?

The threat of SARS died down in July 2003 but world authorities still continued to be very cautious. Many were still in quarantine and by that time, thousands of cases around the globe had been confirmed while many people also died from the disease. However, it’s believed now that through great measures taken by the World Health Organization and other governments around the world, that the world community is safe from this disease. Of course, you should always take appropriate measures when traveling to any country. And even when you’re not traveling it’s important to always protect yourself and others by washing hands and trying to prevent the spread of germs. But the days of wearing facial masks in airports and down city streets is definitely over and no longer necessary. It’s also important to always be aware of the threat of SARS. With awareness and proper preventative measures, we can all help prevent another outbreak of SARS and keep our world safe for everyone and anyone!