THE SURAT PLAGUE AND THE LESSON FROM IT

The pneumonic plague epidemics in Surat, India which led to a real plague phobia , caused se- rious damage to the economy and the image of India in the world. The root of this tragedy could be traced to a theoretic misleading. It resulted in major errors in the plague surveillance and con- trol strategies, led to the health authorities neglecting the plague prevention , and caused the un- proper diagnostic and isolation measures ,as well as the panic in the residents before the plague at- tacking.The surat episode showed that India still faced formidable task in plague control.China could draw some useful lesson from this episode,too.To avoid the Surat tragedy repeated in this country,we need to strengthen the organization,input,staff,and study of the diseases control.