Ten years ago this time, Hong Kong was gripped by the terror of the SARS epidemic. That was one of the worst times in Hong Kong's history.

Understandably, it's a dark chapter that most of us want to forget. But we should bear in mind that the ordeal also brought out the finest attributes that have made Hong Kong people proud. For that reason, it has particular relevance at a time when many Hong Kong people, especially the younger generation, are obsessed by self-pity born of an unbearable feeling of helplessness in face of perceived social and economic injustice.

They must be reminded that times were much harder 10 years ago and we didn't feel sorry for ourselves. Instead, many among us showed great courage and dedication in doing what they were supposed to do. Of course, there was much complaint as we always do. But never was there a time when we lost hope, and nobody, especially those in the medical profession, shirked their responsibility even in face of grave danger.

Young people today may not have any idea of how bad things really were then. Let's start with the economy, which was in shambles in 2003 when years of deflation took the toll on employment and income.

From the outbreak of the Asian financial crisis in 1997 to 2003, average property prices dropped an accumulated 60 percent. Although exports, comprising mainly of re-export trade, continued to increase, the services industry, which accounted for the bulk of the economy, slumped mainly because of a sharp fall in consumer spending and tourism.

As a result, the unemployment rate surged to nearly 10 percent while average wage levels were on the skid. This did not take into account the increase in partial employment as employers tried to stay above waters by making big slashes in fixed cost.

Worse was that many middle-class families who bought their homes on mortgages must face the agonizing reality of negative equity, in which the prevailing market value of the property was worth less than the outstanding bank loan. A family with negative equity faces the hard dilemma of whether to continue paying back the loan for a depreciating asset or to renegade on the obligation to face eviction and a stiff penalty.

The persistent low bad-loan ratio in the banking system showed that most homeowners had remained steadfast in honoring their debts because they had not lost confidence in Hong Kong's capability of staging spectacular recoveries as it had done so many times before. (They were right. Property prices have since surged to levels beyond records set in the pre-1997 years.)

It was against such a depressing backdrop when SARS hit. The infectious disease spread quickly and claimed an average of 50 victims a day while medical experts were racing to find an effective vaccine. Some died because there was no effective medication to treat the illness.

That was the time when the Hong Kong medical profession was put to the severest test since the outbreak of the bubonic plague in 1894. In one block of a housing estate, 200 residents contracted the virus almost overnight. The subsequent investigation by medical professionals with the help of the police and experts in other fields, accomplished at an astonishing speed, was hailed as a masterpiece of medical detective work.

What most Hong Kong people will remember is the courage and professionalism demonstrated by many doctors, nurses and helpers in the various medical facilities where SARS patients were being treated. Although some of their colleagues contracted the virus and a few died from the disease, they continued to report to work without addition incentive or threat of penalty.

We shall remain grateful to those who performed so well and sacrificed so much for us in those trying times.

The author is a current affairs commentator.

(HK Edition 03/05/2013 page1)