Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)

Frequently Asked Questions on SARS:

Q: What is Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)?
A: SARS is the term being used to describe a serious respiratory illness Which has recently been reported in parts of East and South East Asia.

Q: What are the symptoms of SARS?
A: The main symptoms of SARS are high fever (> 38° Celsius), dry cough,shortness of breath or breathing difficulties. Changes in chest X-rays indicative of pneumonia also occur. SARS may be associated with other symptoms, including headache, muscular stiffness, loss of appetite, malaise,confusion, rash and diarrhoea.

Q: How contagious is SARS?
A: Based on currently available evidence, close contact with an infected person poses the highest risk of the infective agent to spread from one person to another. To date, the majority of cases have occurred in hospital workers who have cared for SARS patients and the close family members of these patients. However, the amount of the infective agent needed to cause an infection has not yet been determined.

Q: What is the treatment for SARS?
A: Antibiotics and antiviral drugs are being used to treat the illness, but without knowing the cause there is no specific treatment.

Q: How fast does SARS spread?
A: SARS appears to be less infectious than influenza. The incubation period is believed to be short, around 3-6 days. However, the speed of international travel creates a risk that cases can rapidly spread around the world.

Q: What can I do to protect myself?
A: Only a few cases have been identified outside of South East Asia and these cases were in people who had travelled from there. The best advice is to be aware of the symptoms of this illness, particularly if you have recently travelled in Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam and other parts of South East Asia, and seek medical advice should you develop them within 10 days of your return.

Q: Is there a vaccine for this?
A: No, a vaccine is not available as the pathogen responsible is as yet unknown.

Q: When will this disease be identified?
A: An international multi-centre research project to expedite identification of the causative agent was established on Monday 17 March. Eleven top labs in ten countries are consulting daily and are working together to identify the causative agent. Laboratory tests are ongoing and a candidate causative infectious is under investigation.

Q: Where and when was the first case of SARS reported?
A: On 26 February, a man was admitted to hospital in Hanoi with high fever,dry cough, myalgia (muscle soreness) and mild sore throat. Over the next four days he developed increasing breathing difficulties, severe thrombocytopenia (low platelet count) and signs of adult respiratory distress syndrome requiring ventilator support.

Q: How many cases of SARS have been reported to date?
A: For the latest number of reported cases worldwide, please refer to the WHO website at ww.who.int/en/. For the latest number of cases reported in the UK, please refer to the PHLS website at www.phls.co.uk/topics_az/SARS/menu.htm.

Q: Is the outbreak in Guangdong Province, China linked?
A: Extensive investigation is under way to better understand the outbreak of atypical (unusual) pneumonia that began in Guangdong province in November 2002. Findings from this investigation should help clarify possible links with cases of SARS.

Q: Could this result from bioterrorism?
A: There is no indication that SARS is linked to bioterrorism.

Q: What should I do if I am planning to travel to Hong Kong, Singapore,
thailand or other areas in South East Asia?
A: Travellers to South East Asia need to be aware of these outbreaks and take them into account in their travel plans. Latest information is available on the FCO website at www.fco.gov.uk.

Q: What should I do if I have recently returned from South East Asia and feel unwell?
A: If you have recently returned from South East Asia and suffer from any of the following symptoms: sudden onset of fever (>38 degrees C), together with respiratory symptoms such as cough, sore throat, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing within 10 days of return, please contact your GP surgery .

Q: I've heard of a suspected case of SARS in England - can you confirm this?
A: There have been suspected cases of SARS reported in the media, however we will only be reporting cases that are probable and therefore fit the case definition issued by the WHO. At this time of year in south-east Asia influenza activity is high and we would therefore expect travellers to this area to be returning with flu-like symptoms, which are unrelated to the current outbreaks of SARS. As there is no specific cause for SARS and no specific organism that we can test for to diagnose cases,each suspected case has to be evaluated on the clinical presentation of its symptoms.

Indo community