The emergence of a new virus in central China has brought back painful memories of another virulent respiratory disease that wreaked worldwide havoc and left the country’s health authorities struggling to rebuild public trust.

But global health experts say China has come a long way since 2003, when it was accused of trying to cover up a major outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), a previously unknown virus believed to have emerged from the wet markets of Guangdong province, before spreading into major cities.

As many as 774 people died in that epidemic, which reached almost 30 countries.

Now, 17 years later, government officials insist they have learnt from past mistakes as they try to contain the latest deadly viral pneumonia strain, which has infected more than 800 people, mostly in Wuhan city, and killed at least 25 since it was first identified late last month.