China is a country known for its secrecy. The iron curtain is still intact there and very little is known of their military and weaponry capacities. The leading powers of our global community have decided not to probe into this aspect of China's affairs because the latter has become a major layer on the world economic stage.

In this age when the phrase weapons of mass destruction has become cliché and countries are being labeled "rogue states", we have to wonder if through the creation of biological weapons and the subsequent testing of these said weapons, if new diseases cannot be created.
Today, we are faced with a disease that could quite possibly wipe out a third or more of the global population. This disease packs a heavier punch
than AIDS, cancer and malaria combined. Having been identified as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, (SARS). This highly communicable disease has originated in part, as a result of China's envelope of secrecy. We can only
hope that it was not created by experiments in bio-technological warfare and
in the process tested on people in remote Chinese.
To date there has been more than 3,500 reported cases globally. The rapid
spread of this disease has already resulted in over 200 deaths in 26 different countries. In my opinion, is likened to a California wild fire.
Unfortunately for Anguilla this disease has found its way into the USA and Canada. As the majority of our tourism product comes from North America, we as a community have to be extra careful especially in a country like ours
where health care is almost rudimentary.
For some reason, we are always the last to prepare. Anguilla is known for its reactionary methods whether it be to the consequences of British
Citizenship or Constitutional Reform. Rarely are we proactive in any situation. It is heartening to see that Dr. Franklin Lloyd is being assiduous in the wake of this potential epidemic and I hope that he insures that an adequate supply of the appropriate medicinal necessities is readily available in the event that SARS invade our tiny community.
It is important to note that SARS has caused a 90% decline in tourism arrivals to Hong Kong causing over 1000 restaurants to close. For obvious reasons Anguilla simply cannot afford a catastrophe such as this.
I take encouragement that to date, there are only 39 cases of SARS in the
USA and none are super spreaders. This means that our likelihood to import
this dreaded disease is reduced but we cannot afford to take this for granted. We have to continue to be vigilant where this disease is concerned and ensure prevention on all fronts. We pray that it can soon be contained,
eradicated and a full investigation by the World Health Organization carried out to ascertain the origins of SARS.
No doubt this disease is on the move. The only question is whether it will
become a global pandemic.

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