Severe acute respiratory
syndrome (SARS)
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a respiratory illness that has
recently been reported in Asia, North America, and Europe. This fact sheet
provides basic information about the disease and what is being done to combat
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 had direct contact with infectious material (for example,
respiratory secretions) from a person who has SARS. Potential ways in which SARS
can be 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 can be spread more broadly through the air or by other ways that are
currently not known.
Who
is at risk for SARS
Most of the U.S. cases of SARS have occurred among travelers returning to the
United States from other parts of the world with SARS. There have been very few
cases as a result of spread to close contacts such as family members and health
care workers. Currently, there is no evidence that SARS is spreading more widely
in the community in the United States.
Possible
cause of SARS
Scientists at CDC and other laboratories have detected a previously unrecognized
coronavirus in patients with SARS. The new coronavirus is the leading hypothesis
for the cause of SARS.
What CDC
is doing about SARS
CDC is working closely with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other
partners in a global effort to address the SARS outbreak. For its part, CDC has
taken the following actions:
 | Activated its
Emergency Operations Center to provide round-the-clock coordination and
response.
| Committed more
than 300 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. |
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CDC
RECOMMENDATIONS
CDC has issued recommendations and guidelines for people who may be affected by
this outbreak.
For
individuals considering travel to areas with SARS:
CDC has 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 updates
information on its website on the travel status of other areas
with SARS as the situation evolves.
For
individuals who must travel to an area with SARS:
CDC advises that travelers in an area with SARS should wash their hands
frequently to protect against SARS infection. In addition, CDC advises that
travelers may wish to avoid close contact with large numbers of people as much
as possible to minimize the possibility of infection. CDC does not recommend the
routine use of masks or other personal protective equipment while in public
areas. For more information, read the Interim Guidelines about Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) for Persons
Traveling to Areas with SARS.
For
individuals who think 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) should consult a health-care
provider. To help the health-care provider make a diagnosis, tell them about any
recent travel to places where SARS has been reported or whether there was
contact with someone who had these symptoms.
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:
Transmission of SARS to health-care workers appears to have occurred after close
contact with sick people before recommended infection control precautions were
put into use. CDC has issued interim
infection control recommendations for health-care settings as well as for
the management of
exposures to SARS in health-care and other institutional settings.
Questions
and Answers: Travel and Quarantine
May 23, 2003, 12:30 PM ET |
 |
Are
there any travel restrictions related to SARS?
At this time there are no travel restrictions in place that are directly related
to SARS. However, a CDC travel advisory recommends that individuals who are
planning nonessential or elective travel to China, Hong Kong and Taiwan may wish
to postpone their trip until further notice. CDC has also issued a travel alert
for Singapore to recommend that U.S. travelers observe precautions to safeguard
their health. On May 15, CDC lifted the travel alert for Hanoi, Vietnam; on May
20, CDC lifted the alert for Toronto, Ontario, Canada. For additional
information and updates about these travel notices, check the SARS
information for travelers web site, which will be updated as necessary or
check the Department of State web site
for a list of DOS travel warnings related to SARS.
What
if I must travel to a country where there is community spread of SARS? What
precautions can I take?
As with all infectious illnesses, the first line of defense is careful hand
hygiene. As a general rule, it is good practice to wash hands frequently with
soap and water; if hands are not visibly soiled, alcohol-based hand rubs may be
used as an alternative.
To minimize the
possibility of infection, you may wish to avoid close contact with large numbers
of people as much as possible. CDC does not recommend the routine use of masks
while in public areas. For more information, visit CDC’s
website and specifically read the
Interim Guidelines about Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) for Persons
Traveling to Areas with SARS.
What
should I do if I have recently traveled to a country where cases of SARS have
been reported?
You should monitor your own health for 10 days following your return. If you
become ill with a fever of more than 100.4°F [>38.0°C] that is accompanied
by a cough or difficulty breathing or that progresses to a cough and/or
difficulty breathing, you should consult a health-care provider. To help your
health-care provider make a diagnosis, tell him or her about any recent travel
to regions where cases of SARS have been reported and whether you were in
contact with someone who had these symptoms.
What
is the difference between a “travel alert” and a “travel advisory”
issued by CDC?
CDC issues two types of notices to travelers depending on specific situations:
travel alerts and travel advisories. Travel alerts inform travelers of a health
concern in a particular area and provide advice about specific precautions that
should be taken. A travel advisory notifies travelers of potentially more
serious situations and advises that non-essential travel be postponed.
What
information about SARS is being provided to people traveling on ships?
SARS information contained on CDC's health alert cards is being provided by the
major shipping associations and the International Council of Cruise Lines to
people traveling on cargo ships and cruise ships at U.S. ports. Inspectors also
are boarding ships if a passenger or crew member has been reported with symptoms
matching the case definition of SARS.
What are
CDC's quarantine officials doing to prevent and control the spread of SARS?
CDC's quarantine inspectors or their designees are distributing health
alert cards to air passengers returning in airplanes either directly or
indirectly to the United States from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. The
notices inform travelers about SARS and its symptoms and asks them to monitor
their health for 10 days and to see a doctor if they get a fever with a cough or
have difficulty breathing. CDC distributes more than 20,000 health alert notices
each day to air travelers returning from the affected regions. Inspectors also
are boarding airplanes if a traveler has been reported with symptoms matching
the case definition of SARS.
WHO has recommended
procedures for pre-departure screening of airline passengers from some
countries for respiratory illnesses or other symptoms of SARS.
What is
the risk to individuals who may have shared a plane or boat trip with a
suspected SARS patient?
Cases of SARS continue to be reported primarily among people who have had direct
close contact with an infected person, such as those sharing a household with a
SARS patient and health-care workers who did not use infection control
procedures while attending to a SARS patient. SARS also has occurred among air
travelers, primarily travelers to and from Hong Kong, Hanoi, Singapore, and
mainland China.
CDC is requesting locating information from travelers who are on flights with
people suspected of having SARS. CDC, with the help of state and local health
authorities, is attempting to follow-up with these travelers for 14 days to make
sure no one develops symptoms consistent with SARS.
If I'm
on board an airplane or ship with someone suspected of having SARS, will I be
allowed to continue to my destination?
CDC does not currently recommend that the onward travel of healthy passengers be
restricted in the event that a passenger or crew member suspected of having SARS
is removed from the ship or airplane by port health authorities. All passengers
and crew members may be advised by port health authorities to seek medical
attention if they develop SARS symptoms.
Source: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/basics.htm
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