VDM Lombard, A: The Impact of SARS

Canada experienced a substantial economic loss due to the spread of the SARS disease in 2003. This was especially the case for the city of Toronto, the Canadian city most affected by SARS. To date, no research has been able to identify the full economic impact of the SARS outbreak in Toronto. This work examines the impact of this infectious disease on Toronto's health care system in order to begin to explain the consumption patterns of services for health care managers. Canada is in a promising position. It not only has first hand experience in governing severe outbreaks but also has available information that has the potential to strengthen its ability to respond to the 'next SARS'. Greater knowledge of the cost of SARS on the health care system will help hospital managers make better informed decisions about the types of services to deliver and how to deliver them. This work was done with the aim to improve the responsiveness of cost-effective decision making during outbreaks of infectious diseases such as SARS.