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| SARS Coronavirus. "Corona" is Latin for "crown" or "halo". You can see the halo-like structures in this electron-microscope image. photo: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/ |
Severe acute respiratory syndrome SARS) is a viral respiratory illness caused by a coronavirus, called SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV). SARS was first reported in Asia in February 2003. The illness spread to more than two dozen countries in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia before the SARS global outbreak of 2003 was contained.
http://www.cdc.gov/sars/index.html
NOTICE
Since 2004, there have not been any known cases of SARS reported anywhere in the world. The content in this Web site was developed for the 2003 SARS epidemic. But, some guidelines are still being used. Any new SARS updates will be posted on this Web site.
What Are Coronaviruses?
Coronaviruses are named for the crown-like spikes on their surface. They are common viruses that most people get in their lifetime. These viruses usually cause mild to moderate upper-respiratory tract illnesses.
source: http://www.cdc.gov/about/history/sars/index.htm
Coronaviruses are named for the crown-like spikes on their surface. They are common viruses that most people get in their lifetime. These viruses usually cause mild to moderate upper-respiratory tract illnesses.
source: http://www.cdc.gov/about/history/sars/index.htm
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) - Overview
What is SARS?
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a respiratory illness that first infected people in parts of Asia, North America, and Europe in late 2002 and early 2003. SARS is caused by a type of coronavirus, which can cause mild to moderate upper respiratory 
illness, such as the common cold. This virus is known as SARS-CoV.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a respiratory illness that first infected people in parts of Asia, North America, and Europe in late 2002 and early 2003. SARS is caused by a type of coronavirus, which can cause mild to moderate upper respiratory illness, such as the common cold. This virus is known as SARS-CoV.
illness, such as the common cold. This virus is known as SARS-CoV.What are the symptoms?
The main symptoms are a fever, a dry cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing. A person with SARS also may experience a headache, muscle aches, asore throat, fatigue, and diarrhea. Older people may feel generally unwell (malaise) and lose their appetite but not have a fever.1 For some people the symptoms get worse quickly, making a hospital stay necessary.
The incubation period—the time from when a person is first exposed to SARS until symptoms appear—is usually 3 to 7 days but may be as long as 10 days. Experts believe a person can spread the illness to others only while he or she has symptoms. As a precaution, though, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people who have SARS stay home, except for doctor visits, until 10 days after their symptoms have gone away.
source: http://www.webmd.com/lung/tc/severe-acute-respiratory-syndrome-sars-overview
The main symptoms are a fever, a dry cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing. A person with SARS also may experience a headache, muscle aches, asore throat, fatigue, and diarrhea. Older people may feel generally unwell (malaise) and lose their appetite but not have a fever.1 For some people the symptoms get worse quickly, making a hospital stay necessary.
The incubation period—the time from when a person is first exposed to SARS until symptoms appear—is usually 3 to 7 days but may be as long as 10 days. Experts believe a person can spread the illness to others only while he or she has symptoms. As a precaution, though, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people who have SARS stay home, except for doctor visits, until 10 days after their symptoms have gone away.
source: http://www.webmd.com/lung/tc/severe-acute-respiratory-syndrome-sars-overview
How is SARS diagnosed?
SARS-CoV is detected using enzyme-linked immunoassays (EIA) or reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, which are available through the CDC. These tests are performed on a sample respiratory secretions or blood.
These tests are performed only when the patient's history makes the SARS diagnosis likely and usually in consultation with infectious-disease subspecialists, state and local public-health authorities, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If a test is positive, it will be confirmed by the CDC. Other tests may be abnormal, but they are not specific for SARS. The chest X-ray shows pneumonia, which may look patchy at first. Typically, infiltrates have the appearance of "ground glass" on computed tomography scans but may progress to frank consolidation or "white out." Lymphocyte counts in the blood are usually decreased, and platelet counts may also be low. Serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatinine phosphokinase (CPK) levels may be increased.
SARS should be considered in people with the appropriate symptoms who work with SARS-CoV in a laboratory or who have recent exposure to infected people or mammals in Southern China. No human cases of SARS have been reported since 2004 in the United States, so it is extremely unlikely that a patient in the U.S. will have SARS without a history of such exposure. It is possible, however, that a new outbreak might occur. Therefore, SARS (along with other similar viruses) should also be considered when there is a cluster of unusually severe viral-like pneumonia that has no other explanation.
What is the treatment for SARS?
Patients with SARS often require oxygen, and severe cases require mechanical ventilation. Severely ill patients should be admitted to the intensive-care unit. No medication has been proven to treat SARS effectively, and treatment is largely supportive and directed by the patient's clinical condition. In the 2002-2003 outbreak, it initially appeared corticosteroids or interferon-alpha may have been useful, but this was not confirmed and remains controversial. In the test tube, some drugs from a group known as protease inhibitors appear effective against SARS-CoV, but these medications have not been studied in people with SARS. Management is aided by infectious-disease, pulmonary, and critical-care subspecialists. Medical caregivers need to follow strict policies on gloves, masks, gowns, and other protocols to avoid becoming infected.
http://www.medicinenet.com/severe_acute_respiratory_syndrome_sars/page5.htm#what_is_the_treatment_for_sars
Patients with SARS often require oxygen, and severe cases require mechanical ventilation. Severely ill patients should be admitted to the intensive-care unit. No medication has been proven to treat SARS effectively, and treatment is largely supportive and directed by the patient's clinical condition. In the 2002-2003 outbreak, it initially appeared corticosteroids or interferon-alpha may have been useful, but this was not confirmed and remains controversial. In the test tube, some drugs from a group known as protease inhibitors appear effective against SARS-CoV, but these medications have not been studied in people with SARS. Management is aided by infectious-disease, pulmonary, and critical-care subspecialists. Medical caregivers need to follow strict policies on gloves, masks, gowns, and other protocols to avoid becoming infected.
http://www.medicinenet.com/severe_acute_respiratory_syndrome_sars/page5.htm#what_is_the_treatment_for_sars
SARS?
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory illness caused by a coronavirus, called SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV). SARS was first reported in Asia in February 2003. Over the next few months, the illness spread to more than two dozen countries in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia before the SARS global outbreak of 2003 was contained. This fact sheet gives basic information about the illness and what CDC has done to control SARS in the United States.
Find out more about SARS:
The SARS outbreak of 2003
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a total of 8,098 people worldwide became sick with SARS during the 2003 outbreak. Of these, 774 died. In the United States, only eight people had laboratory evidence of SARS-CoV infection. All of these people had traveled to other parts of the world with SARS. SARS did not spread more widely in the community in the United States. See an update on SARS cases in the United States and worldwide as of December 2003.
Symptoms of SARS
In general, SARS begins with a high fever (temperature greater than 100.4°F [>38.0°C]). Other symptoms may include headache, an overall feeling of discomfort, and body aches. Some people also have mild respiratory symptoms at the outset. About 10 percent to 20 percent of patients have diarrhea. After 2 to 7 days, SARS patients may develop a dry cough. Most patients develop pneumonia.
How SARS spreads
The main way that SARS seems to spread is by close person-to-person contact. The virus that causes SARS is thought to be transmitted most readily by respiratory droplets (droplet spread) produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Droplet spread can happen when droplets from the cough or sneeze of an infected person are propelled a short distance (generally up to 3 feet) through the air and deposited on the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, or eyes of persons who are nearby. The virus also can spread when a person touches a surface or object contaminated with infectious droplets and then touches his or her mouth, nose, or eye(s). In addition, it is possible that the SARS virus might spread more broadly through the air (airborne spread) or by other ways that are not now known.
What does “close contact” mean?
In the context of SARS, close contact means having cared for or lived with someone with SARS or having direct contact with respiratory secretions or body fluids of a patient with SARS. Examples of close contact include kissing or hugging, sharing eating or drinking utensils, talking to someone within 3 feet, and touching someone directly. Close contact does not include activities like walking by a person or briefly sitting across a waiting room or office.
CDC’s response to SARS during the 2003 outbreak
CDC worked closely with WHO and other partners in a global effort to address the SARS outbreak of 2003. For its part, CDC took the following actions:
- Activated its Emergency Operations Center to provide round-the-clock coordination and response.
- Committed more than 800 medical experts and support staff to work on the SARS response.
- Deployed medical officers, epidemiologists, and other specialists to assist with on-site investigations around the world.
- Provided assistance to state and local health departments in investigating possible cases of SARS in the United States.
- Conducted extensive laboratory testing of clinical specimens from SARS patients to identify the cause of the disease.
- Initiated a system for distributing health alert notices to travelers who may have been exposed to cases of SARS.
What CDC is doing now
CDC continues to work with other federal agencies, state and local health departments, and healthcare organizations to plan for rapid recognition and response if person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV recurs. CDC has developed recommendations and guidelines to help public health and healthcare officials plan for and respond quickly to the reappearance of SARS in a healthcare facility or community. These are available in the document Public Health Guidance for Community-Level Preparedness and Response to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). CDC provides the latest information on SARS on the SARS website.
spurce: http://www.cdc.gov/sars/about/fs-SARS.html
Remembering SARS – 10 Years Later
In the 2003 global disease outbreak, what became known as SARS-CoV started as a mystery illness—without name, origin, or cure. Public health scientists across the globe scrambled to understand and contain this health threat.
CDC began working with the World Health Organization (WHO) in late February to investigate and confirm outbreaks of an unusual pneumonia in Southeast Asia. As WHO led a global effort to understand the illness and how to prevent its spread, questions outnumbered answers. At the time, all that was known about the new disease was that people quickly become severely ill and that it could be fatal.
source: http://www.cdc.gov/about/history/sars/index.htm
