As the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) sweeps across the world forcing many of us to change our lifestyles in the hope of dodging the deadly virus, a group of people have no choice but to face the danger head-on every day.

Despite the threat to their own lives and those of their loved o­nes, healthcare workers dice with danger to treat infected patients and work around the clock to discover a vaccine so that the rest of us could live in peace.

If Hippocrates was alive today, he would definitely be proud of their sheer grit and unwavering dedication.

The disease strikes at a time when the medical profession, o­ne of humankind's noblest, has turned into a money-spinning career.