What happens when someone gets SARS?

Early on, a bout with SARS may feel like the flu. SARS patients tend to first develop a fever of over 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit as their first symptom, possibly accompanied by a headache, body aches or overall discomfort. After two to seven days, patients may develop a dry cough or have trouble breathing. Some patients may eventually be unable to breathe on their own because their lungs are so congested. A small percentage of patients eventually die from the disease because it has damaged their lungs so severely.

How do people catch SARS?

SARS is most commonly spread through close contact with someone who has the disease. People can catch the virus by getting it on their hands and then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. This could happen if they touch something that an infected person has recently coughed or sneezed on.

There may also be other ways that SARS can spread that have not yet been discovered.

How long after infection do symptoms develop?

People who have been infected with SARS usually begin to feel sick two to seven days after they were exposed to the virus. However, it can take as long as ten days for symptoms to appear.

How is SARS treated?

Researchers have not yet found any anti-viral drugs that can combat the disease, and antibiotics are not effective against viral infections such as SARS. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is advising doctors to treat their SARS patients as if they have pneumonia with no known cause. As part of this treatment, some patients are put on mechanical ventilation to help them breathe.

What causes SARS?

A virus that has never before been seen in humans. The virus comes from the coronavirus family, which is also the source of one of the viruses that cause the common cold. Viruses in this family also cause severe illnesses in animals. According to researchers in Hong Kong, the SARS virus comes from animals -- a finding that may eventually help scientists in their search for a vaccine.

What regions are hardest hit?

Although SARS continues to spread to new regions, the CDC has highlighted several hard-hit areas in its travel warnings. They are suggesting that people may wish to postpone trips to mainland China and Hong Kong; Singapore; and Hanoi, Vietnam. The WHO offered similar travel recommendations for Asia, except that its warnings for trips to China did not pertain to the entire mainland – just the Shanxi and Guangdong Provinces and the city of Beijing.

Toronto, Canada is also struggling to contain SARS. The CDC is advising that those visiting the city observe certain precautions, such as avoiding locations — like hospitals caring for SARS patients — where the virus is likely to be transmitted. The WHO, however, advised against unnecessary travel to Toronto. The recommendation is effective from April 23 to May 14.

-- By Karyn Schwartz, Online NewsHour
April 2003

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention