SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome)

A viral respiratory infection caused by the SARS coronavirus. It is transmitted through close person-to-person contact. It is manifested with high fever, headache, dry cough and myalgias. It may progress to pneumonia and cause death.

Part of: Coronaviruses

About SARS Coronavirus (SARS-CoV)

SARS-CoV caused an infectious disease that was first identified in people in early 2003. Scientists believe the virus emerged from Guangdong province in China, infecting people who handled or inhaled virus droplets from cat-like mammals called civets.

By 2004, SARS-CoV disease had disappeared in humans, and scientists are not sure whether it will return. Though its stay was short, SARS-CoV changed how scientists respond to emerging infectious diseases by focusing on the need for global openness and immediate cooperation.

Prior to SARS-CoV, emerging infectious diseases were thought to take weeks or months to spread globally. SARS-CoV showed how efficiently a virus could spread through international travel. By mid-2003, SARS-CoV had spread to 29 different countries, including the United States.

Since then, scientists and public health officials around the world have worked to rapidly coordinate studies and emphasize the need to share information with colleagues at the start of infectious disease outbreaks.

Symptoms

Symptoms of SARS-CoV infection were flu-like, including high fever, head and muscle aches, cough, and shortness of breath. Most people with SARS-CoV ultimately developed pneumonia. The virus most commonly spread by close human contact; droplets of SARS-CoV can be released into the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. NIH – National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases