March 7

1
March 7

• Severe form of pneumonia comes in from Hong Kong
  and Vietnam.
• Approximately 20 hospital staff become sick.
• Bilateral pneumonia and progression to acute
  respiratory distress

2
March 10

• 18 healthcare workers ill
• Within hours 50 hospital's healthcare workers
  identified febrile illness
• 23 admitted to hospital
• 8 develop early X-ray signs pneumonia
• Hospital staff seems highest risk
• Syndrome designated as SARS

3
March 15

• WHO issues global health alert
• A rare emergency travel advisory to
  international travelers, healthcare
  professionals, health authorities
• All individuals traveling to affected areas to be
  watchful for the development of symptoms for a
  period of 10 days after returning

4
March 17

• WHO calls to join a network for multicenter
  research.
• Network takes advantage of modern communication
  technologies.
• Patient samples can be analyzed in parallel by
  several laboratories.
• Results shared in real time

5
March 19

• WHO publishes an update SARS situation.
• Detect presence of bacteria and viruses known to
  cause respiratory disease
• Causative agent might be a novel pathogen.

6
March 24

• A new coronavirus has been isolated from patients
  with SARS.
• Virus distinct from known human pathogens
• Serum from patients with SARS evaluated to detect
  antibodies
• Seroconversion documented with acute- and
  convalescent-phase specimens

7
March 26

• The first global "grand round" on the clinical
  features and treatment of SARS is held by WHO.
• The electronic meeting unites 80 clinicians from
  13 countries.
• No therapy demonstrated any particular
  effectiveness.

8
March 30-31

• A steep rise in the number of SARS cases is
  detected.
• Isolation order to prevent further spread of SARS
  Issued
• Residents of the building moved to rural
  isolation camps for 10 days
• New England Journal of Medicine publishes two
  articles.