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Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)SARS Updates & LinksIntroductionThe Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was first reported in 2003 among people in China. It spread to many countries including over 8000 cases and over 700 deaths. Although the outbreak was generally controlled by mid-2003, there have been further cases since then. The World Health Organization, CDC, China and other national health programs work hard to identify, report and control new cases as they arrive. SARS is caused by a virus in the coronavirus family. This family of viruses also includes viruses which cause the common cold. The transmission of SARS appears to occur predominantly by direct contact with infectious material, which makes touching contaminated objects a potential concern. It is also possible for SARS to be spread through the airborne route. SARS is highly contagious and has been spread to health care workers, close personal contacts, and outside of the United States there has been spread in the schools and in the community. The incubation period for SARS is typically 2--7 days; however, isolated reports have suggested an incubation period as long as 10 days. The illness begins generally with a prodrome of fever (>100.4°F [>38.0°C]). Fever often is high, sometimes is associated with chills and rigors, and might be accompanied by other symptoms, including headache, malaise, and myalgia. At the onset of illness, some persons have mild respiratory symptoms. Typically, rash and neurologic or gastrointestinal findings are absent; however, some patients have reported diarrhea during the febrile prodrome. After 3--7 days, a lower respiratory phase begins with the onset of a dry, nonproductive cough or dyspnea, which might be accompanied by or progress to hypoxemia. In 10%--20% of cases, the respiratory illness is severe enough to require intubation and mechanical ventilation. The case-fatality rate among persons with SARS is several percent. The likelihood that a case of atypical pneumonia is due to SARS is highly dependent on the likelihood that the patient was exposed to another person with SARS. A person's travel history, combined with a knowledge of the current distribution of SARS throughout the world, can help determine how likely it is that a person has been exposed to SARS. Readers are encouraged to stay abreast of the current distribution of SARS throughout the world using the following web-based resources: SARS Updates and WebsitesThe case counts of SARS evolve daily. Worldwide counts, tallied by country, are available from the World Health Organization (WHO) at http://www.who.int/csr/sars/en/ The current status of SARS in the United States is available from the CDC at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/situation.htm. CDC frequently updates their information about SARS. See their website for the most current recommendations. SARS information on the CDC website can be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/ CDC provides guidance on infection control measures for SARS for individuals in a variety of health care and non-health care settings. They also discuss the appropriate use of respirators. See this information at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/ic.htm |
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