Surveillance and reporting is critical in combating pandemics because it serves to
provide early warning and even detection of impending outbreaks. The surveillance
process involves looking out for possible virulent strains and disease patterns within
a country’s borders as well as at major border-crossings (Jebara, 2004; Ansell, et al.
2010; Narain and Bhatia, 2010). When SARS first surfaced, the nature of this virus
was largely unknown. As a consequence, health authorities worldwide were mostly
unable to detect and monitor suspected cases. Health authorities in Singapore
encountered this same problem. But with the aid of WHO technical advisors,
Singapore managed to establish in a timely manner identification and reporting
procedures. Furthermore, the MOH also expanded the WHO’s definitions for
suspected cases of SARS (to include any healthcare workers with fever and/or
respiratory symptoms) in order to widen the surveillance net