The SARS outbreak in 2003 emerged in China and quickly spread globally, causing widespread fear and highlighting the vulnerabilities of globalization and zoonotic diseases. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) resulted in significant public health challenges and economic disruptions. The outbreak underscored the importance of international cooperation in disease surveillance and response, shaping future public health policies.

SARS influenced contemporary Asian and diasporic literature, exploring themes of surveillance, quarantine, and the fragility of urban connectivity, prefiguring the literary responses to the later COVID-19 pandemic in works by authors like Ling Ma. This period highlighted the intersection of health crises and cultural expression.