Jeremy Buige2B

SARS

SARS stands for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.

It is a severe form of pneumonia that causes acute respiratory distress and sometimes death.

SARS is believed to have originated from a group of small mammals in China.

There were over 8000 cases of SARS and about 800-1000 deaths.

• SARS was expected to become a global pandemic.

• It was mainly spread through airports and people traveling from country to country.

• Thousands of people were infected including people in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America.

• The World Health Organization issued a travel advisory and would issue daily reports tracking the virus.

• Schools were closed throughout most of Hong Kong and Singapore

Dr. Carlo Urbani

First person to identify SARS. Found SARS in an American

businessman with flu like symptoms.

Notified the World Health Organization.

Started feeling symptoms of SARS on a plane to Bangkok and died after 18 days of intensive care.

Symptoms

Sever breathing difficulty Cough Fever greater than 100.4 degrees Chills and shaking Headache Muscle ache

Cause

Caused by a virus belonging to the coronavirus family.

Lives in the small droplets that are produced when a person coughs or sneezes.

Can live in the droplets on hands or other surfaces for up to 6 hours and up to 3 hours after the droplets have dried.

Treatment

Most patients are put on a quarantine. Antibiotics Antiviral medication High doses of steroids to reduce swelling

in the lungs. Oxygen, breathing support or chest

therapy. Liquid part of the blood from patients

who have recovered from SARS are put into the patient.

Progression of the disease

Symptoms start to appear after 2-10 days.

Symptoms initially seem like the flu. It eventually turns into a severe form of

pneumonia. Starts to cause acute respiratory distress. Some complications that can lead to

death are Respiratory failure, liver failure, and heart failure.

Expected Outcome

The death rate is 9%-12%. The death rate for patients over 65 is

50%. Many people who become sick require

breathing assistance even more people had to go to intensive care units in hospitals.