Hong Kong will undertake a highly professional review of the SARS to learn from the experience for better preparation of future epidemic spread, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Tung Chee Hwa said Saturday.

"We need to see as soon as possible what lessons we can learn from the past three months in our effort to fight the SARS epidemic so that we are better prepared in case the epidemic should come again in the winter or spring," he noted.

For this purpose, Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food Yeoh Eng-kiong is leading a SARS Experts Committee, made up of international experts in epidemiology, hospital management and public health, to take a thorough review of Hong Kong's battle against SARS, he stated.

"There is an urgency for the committee to complete this work in September and still leave time for us to implement any short-term measures before the onset of winter and spring," he noted.

The SARS crisis sends a clear message that many of Hong Kong's environmental hygiene problems are caused by high population density, by neglect in building maintenance and urban decay.

"We must redouble our efforts with 'outside the box thinking' to improve our town planning to create more open space; to speed up urban renewal; to redevelop and clear up the urban slums and generally to improve the living environment, so that we can truly live up to our name as Asia's world city," he said.

Editor: James