Dozens of experts from Canada, Britain, China and World Health Organizations Tuesday shared their experiences of researching the disease, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Hong Kong.

The World Health Organization made the global alert about the disease March 12, 2003. The disease in 2003 claimed 299 lives in Hong Kong and 775 lives across the world. Forty four lives in Canada were lost due to the disease.

The experts were gathered in the Asian city in order to review the SARS experience and to prepare for such infectious disease in the future.

The gathering was organized by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, according to the Chinese State News Agency Xinhua
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Dr. Thomas Tsang, former controller of Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection told media that the city has developed higher technology and gained more knowledge and experience in tackling such infectious diseases.

"Most importantly we have put in place better disease combating structures," said the doctor.

While the experts applauding the health organisations and experts succeeded at eradicating the disease in 2003, the experts accepted that no one can assure that the disease won't come back.

"That human adapted virus, that spread all the way to Singapore, Canada and ... all that, that is not circulating currently in animals or in humans," Canadian Press quoted Malik Peiris, a microbiologist from Hong Kong, as saying.

"(But) you can't be sure that SARS won't come back," said Malik Peiris.

Four cases were reported in China in 2004 even after the disease was said to be eliminated. 

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