Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a life-threatening respiratory disease caused by a recently identified coronavirus; the SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV). This is believed to be an animal virus that recently crossed the species barrier to infect humans.
Substandard education, low income, or other socio-economic factors result in the inequitable distribution of communicable diseases. Disadvantaged groups are especially vulnerable and risk greater exposure to disease because of environmental or behavioural risk factors. A workshop was convened to discuss new ideas to ameliorate the discrepancies between these groups.