Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
World health experts say a new coronavirus is the cause of a deadly pneumonia called severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS.
SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME
Overview
New Cases Scare You?
All About SARS
How SARS Works- A fever of about 101 degrees, coughing and shortness of breath. Other possible symptoms include headache, muscular stiffness, loss of appetite, confusion, rash and diarrhea. Death is caused by respiratory failure. In some cases, the person's lungs are destroyed.
- SARS appears to spread through close contact, such as between family members or between patient and doctor. Many have been in health care workers. Experts believe SARS is spread through coughing, sneezing and other contact with nasal fluids. People become ill from SARS from three to possibly as many as 14 days after exposure.
Cause
- Researchers say SARS is caused by a new coronavirus.
- There is no cure for SARS. People suspected of having it are being quarantined and are being given antiviral drugs. Scientists have had some success stopping the SARS virus in lab dishes with interferon, which is a natural infection-fighting protein. The virus also can be stopped in the lab by drugs called protease inhibitors, which are chemical cousins of medicines effective against AIDS. But these are just the first steps toward finding a cure, and months of testing is planned.
Death Rate
- The World Health Organization says SARS kills 14 to 15 percent of the people it infects. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention puts the rate at 6.6 percent. Disease experts say the death rate is highest among people older than 60.
Research
- A German study suggests a drug that is aimed at treating the common cold could be changed to prevent the spread of SARS. The study appears in the journal Science. Researchers say they've got a model of the chemical that SARS uses to take over a cell and reproduce. One way to stop SARS would be to stop that chemical from working -- and reproducing. Scientists think a drug that similarly tries to neutralize the common cold could be a good "starting point." A study in The Lancet medical journal suggests the SARS virus is surprisingly stable and not mutating significantly. One expert says that could mean the virus has been around in humans longer than previously thought.
Origin
- SARS was first recognized in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Feb. 26. An outbreak of pneumonia of similar symptoms struck Guangdong province, China, last November and was only brought under control in mid-February.
Travel
- U.S. health officials say travelers should consider postponing trips to areas where SARS has been reported. People who visit areas affected by SARS will be given a special card when they re-enter the United States. The card says:
- "During your recent travel, you may have been exposed to cases of severe acute respiratory disease syndrome. You should monitor your health for at least seven days. If you become ill with fever accompanied by cough or difficulty in breathing, you should consult a physician." Travelers should save the card and give it to a doctor in case symptoms appear.
- Not likely. Experts say the SARS is almost certainly a contagious infection. The head of the CDC, Julie Gerberding, said nothing about the pattern of the spread of the disease suggests bioterrorism.
- A pandemic is an epidemic over a wide geographic area -- possibly the entire world. Pandemics happen about every 30 years, and health officials long have feared the world is overdue for a major flu attack. The last major pandemic was in 1918 and 1919. Forty million people worldwide died from the Spanish flu. The flu killed more than 1 million people in 1957 and 1958, and another 1 million in 1968 and 1969. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a network of contacts in Asia that watches for flu outbreaks. To help identify and monitor SARS, the CDC has activated its emergency operations center to coordinate its teams in various parts of the world.
Copyright 2003 by NBC6.net. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.