The very first case of a new flu (later called SARS) shows up in south China.

SARS starts spreading across Asia and is found in Canada too.

SARS spreads to almost 30 countries all over the world.

The World Health Organization (WHO) issues a global SARS alert.

CDC kicks its Emergency Operations Center into high gear and starts working round-the-clock on the SARS puzzle.

WHO gets 11 top labs in 10 different countries to join one team with one goal: figure out what's causing SARS and ways to stop it! They set up a cool website where people working on the case can share microscope pictures of viruses, virus genes, samples from patients, and more.

CDC says that a new type of coronavirus is probably causing SARS.

CDC announces that they have cracked the SARS genetic code-the first step to treating and preventing the disease!

WHO removes Vietnam from list of areas affected by SARS, making it the first country to totally tackle the disease.

Other countries kick their SARS problem over the next few months.