Basic Information About SARS

A new disease called SARS
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a respiratory illness that was first reported in Asia in February 2003. In early March, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a global alert about SARS. Over the next few months, the illness spread to more than two dozen countries in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. By late July, however, no new cases were being reported and the illness was considered contained. According to WHO, 8,437 people worldwide became sick with SARS during the course of this outbreak. Of those people who became sick, 813 died. This fact sheet gives basic information about SARS and what was done to fight its spread. To find out more about SARS, go to www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/ and www.who.int/csr/sars/en/ . The Web sites are updated daily.

Symptoms of SARS
In general, SARS begins with a fever greater than 100.4°F [>38.0°C]. Other symptoms may include headache, an overall feeling of discomfort, and body aches. Some people also experience mild respiratory symptoms. After 2 to 7 days, SARS patients may develop a dry cough and have trouble breathing.

How SARS spreads
The primary way that SARS appears to spread is by close person-to-person contact. Most cases of SARS have involved people who cared for or lived with someone with SARS, or people who had direct contact with infectious material (for example, respiratory secretions) from a person with SARS. Potential ways in which SARS can spread include touching the skin of other people or objects that are contaminated with infectious droplets and then touching your eye(s), nose, or mouth. This can happen when someone who is sick with SARS coughs or sneezes droplets onto themselves, other people, or nearby surfaces.

It also is possible that SARS may spread more broadly through the air or by other ways that are not now known.

Who got sick with SARS
Most of the U.S. cases of SARS occurred among travelers returning from other parts of the world with SARS. There were very few cases as a result of spread to close contacts, such as family members and health-care workers. SARS did not spread more widely in the community in the United States.

Ccause of SARS
SARS is caused by a previously unrecognized coronavirus, called SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV). It is possible that other infectious agents might have a role in some cases of SARS.

CDC response to SARS
CDC worked closely with WHO and other partners in a global effort to address the SARS outbreak. 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 ongoing 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.
• In addition, CDC is continuing to work with federal, state and local health departments and other professional organizations to plan for a rapid recognition and response should SARS re-emerge.

CDC RECOMMENDATIONS
CDC issued recommendations and guidelines for people who might have been affected by the outbreak. These included:

For individuals considering travel to areas with SARS:
CDC issued two types of notices to travelers: advisories and alerts. A travel advisory recommends that nonessential travel be deferred; a travel alert does not advise against travel, but informs travelers of a health concern and provides advice about specific precautions. CDC updated information on its website on the travel status of other areas with SARS as the situation evolved.

For individuals who had to travel to an area with SARS:
CDC advised that travelers in an area with SARS should wash their hands frequently to protect against SARS infection. In addition, CDC advised that travelers might wish to avoid close contact with large numbers of people as much as possible to minimize the possibility of infection. CDC did not recommend the routine use of masks or other personal protective equipment while in public areas. For more information, read CDC’s interim guidelines for persons traveling to areas with SARS.

For individuals who thought they might have SARS:
People with symptoms of SARS (fever greater than 100.4°F [>38.0°C] accompanied by a cough and/or difficulty breathing) were advised to consult a health-care provider. They also were told tell their health-care provider about any recent travel to places where SARS had been reported or whether there was contact with someone who had these symptoms in order to help the health-care provider make a diagnosis.

For family members caring for someone with SARS:
CDC has developed interim infection control recommendations for patients with suspected SARS in the household. These basic precautions should be followed for 10 days after respiratory symptoms and fever are gone. During that time, SARS patients are asked to limit interactions outside the home (not go to work, school, or other public areas).

For health-care workers:
CDC issued infection control recommendations for health-care settings as well as for the management of exposures to SARS in health-care and other institutional settings.

For more information, visit CDC's SARS Web site, or call the CDC public response hotline at (888) 246-2675 (English), (888) 246-2857 (Espanol), or (866) 874-2646 (TTY)

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