Was There a First Super-Spreader of SARS? Understanding the Concept

No single individual is identified as the first super-spreader of SARS (2002–2004).

Super-spreading events (SSEs)—where one person infects an unusually large number—were documented in multiple settings:

• Hotel Metropole, Hong Kong (index case: doctor from Guangdong) → seeded outbreaks in Vietnam, Singapore, Canada.
• Amoy Gardens housing estate (Hong Kong) – environmental aerosol spread.
• Hospitals in Toronto, Singapore, Hong Kong – healthcare workers & patients.

The term describes a transmission pattern, not a specific "patient zero." SSEs drove the global spread; no consensus on a single first super-spreader.