Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)

1
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)

• Michael Leonard

2
What is SARS?

• A viral respiratory illness caused by a
  coronavirus, called SARS-associated coronavirus
  (SARS-CoV)
• Single-stranded RNA
• First developed in animals
• Virus found in civets - a cat-like wild animal
  eaten as a delicacy in China
• First appeared in southern China in November 2002
• Recognized as a global threat in March 2003

3
(No Transcript)
4
Discovery of SARS

• First described on February 26, 2003
• WHO physician Dr. Carlo Urbani
• Diagnosed 48-year-old businessman traveling from
  Guangdong, China, through Hong Kong, to Hanoi,
  Vietnam
• Patient died, and Dr. Urbani subsequently died on
  March 29, 2003 at age 46

5
SARS Outbreak of 2003

• According to the World Health Organization (WHO),
  an international outbreak, which ended in July
  2003, involved 26 countries, 8,098 cases, and 774
  deaths.

6
How SARS Spreads

• Person-to-person-contact
• Infected person coughing or sneezing
• Respiratory droplets deposited on the mucous
  membranes of the mouth, nose, or eyes of others
  nearby
• Touching a contaminated surface or object and
  then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes
• Possible that SARS may be spread through the air
  or by other ways that are not yet known

7
SARS Symptoms
High Fever
(100.4F)
Headaches
Body Aches
Fatigue
Sore throat
Shortness of breath
Diarrhea
Dry cough
Pneumonia
8
SARS Testing

• Patient Testing
• Blood clotting tests
• Blood chemistries
• Chest X-ray or CT scan
• Complete blood count (CBC)
• Laboratory Testing
• Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction
  (RT-PCR) test for blood, stool, and nasal
  secretions
• Serologic testing to detect SARS-CoV antibodies
• Viral culture to detect SARS-CoV

9
SARS Treatment

• Antibiotics to treat bacterial causes of atypical
  pneumonia
• Antiviral medications
• Ribavirin
• Have had some but not much benefit
• Immunomodulatory drugs
• Interferon and corticosteroids increase the
  amount of oxygen in the blood
• Steroids to reduce lung inflammation
• Oxygen, breathing support, or chest physiotherapy
• Other treatments have shown promise in in-vitro
  or animal models.

10
SARS Treatment

• 1/3 (33) of people with SARS become ill and then
  recover.
• Gets worse in 2/3 (67) of patients and is likely
  to lead to hospitalization
• Risk of dying depends on age and health
• Greatest risk is people over 65 an those with
  chronic illnesses, such as diabetes and heart
  disease
• 9 out of 10 people infected with SARS recover.
• 1 out of 10 people dies.

11
(No Transcript)
12
Prevention

• Wash your hands.
• Wear disposable gloves.
• Wear a surgical mask.
• Wash personal items.
• Disinfect surfaces.

13
Sources
Fact Sheet Basic Information About SARS.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. N.p.,
3 May 2005. Web. 7 Mar. 2011. lthttp//www.cdc.gov
/?ncidod/?sars/?factsheet.htmgt. Kaufman, David
A., M.D. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
(SARS). MedlinePlus. U.S. National Lib. of
Medicine, National Inst. of Health, 2 Mar. 2009.
Web. 7 Mar. 2011. lthttp//www.nlm.nih.gov/?medlin
eplus/?ency/?article/?007192.htmgt. Poutanen,
Susan M., and Allison J. McGeer. Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). AccessScience. The
McGraw- Hill Companies, 2011. Web. 7 Mar. 2011.
lthttp//0- www.accessscience.com.sciron.cuyahoga.l
ib.oh.us/?content.aspx?searchStrSevereacuteresp
iratorysy ndrome(SARS)idYB051720gt. Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Mayo Clinic.
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and
Research (MFMER), 6 Jan. 2011. Web. 7 Mar. 2011.
lthttp//www.mayoclinic.com/?health/?sars/?DS00501gt
. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) -
Overview. WebMD. N.p., 13 July 2009. Web. 7 Mar.
2011. lthttp//www.webmd.com/?lung/?tc/?severe-acu
te-respiratory-syndrome-sars-overviewgt.
14
Thank You

• Any Questions?