There were many lessons learnt in Singapore's fight against SARS, and they have proven to be all the more important in our preparations for an influenza pandemic. The following lessons are discussed in this paper including: the widespread ramifications among the various sectors in Singapore (individuals, organizations, community and economy), the first principles of outbreak response, need for enhanced infectious disease control measures, high demands on the healthcare system, the role of management policies implementation and dissemination, multidisciplinary involvement, importance of communication, and business continuity planning.