SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME (SARS)

KEY POINTS

• Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory illness caused by SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV).
• SARS was first reported in Asia in February 2003 and the illness spread to North America, South America, Europe, and Asia in the following few months.
• 8,098 people worldwide became sick with SARS during the 2003 outbreak and, out of that number, 774 died.
• In the United States, eight persons were confirmed to have SARS and none of them died.
• All of the U.S. SARS cases had traveled to areas where SARS-CoV transmission had been occurring.
• All diagnosed cases of SARS have been linked to chains of transmission involving close personal contact with an identified SARS case.

For further information on SARS, including preventive measures, testing, travel guidelines, and updates, see the CDC SARs website http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/.

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SOURCE: CDC SARS website
PREPARED BY: 211/rj
CONTENT LAST REVIEWED: April2007