infections
Coronaviruses and Acute Respiratory Syndromes (MERS and SARS)
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
Severe acute respiratory syndrome is a coronavirus infection that causes flu-like symptoms. No cases had been reported worldwide since 2004. Symptoms of SARS resemble those of other more common respiratory viral infections (such as fever, headache, chills, and muscle aches) but are more severe. Doctors suspect SARS only if people may have been exposed to an infected person. If doctors think a person may have SARS, the person is isolated in a room with a ventilation system that limits the spread of microorganisms in the air. (See also Overview of Viral Infections .) Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was first detected in China in late 2002. A worldwide outbreak occurred, resulting in more than 8,000 cases worldwide, including Canada and the United States, and about 800 deaths by mid 2003. No cases had been reported worldwide since 2004. Although no new cases have been reported since 2004, SARS is not considered eliminated because the virus has an animal reservoir from which it conceivably could reemerge. The immediate source was presumed to be civets, cat-like mammals, that were being sold in live animal markets as exotic food. How civets became infected is unclear, though bats are thought to be the reservoir host of the SARS virus in nature. SARS is caused by a coronavirus. SARS is much more severe than most other coronavirus infections, which usually cause only coldlike symptoms. However, the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) (MERS) and SARS is spread from person to person through close contact with an infected person or through airborne droplets that were coughed or sneezed out by an infected person. Symptoms of SARS resemble those of other more common respiratory viral infections but are more severe. They include fever, headache, chills, and muscle aches, followed by a dry cough and sometimes difficulty breathing. Most people recovered within 1 to 2 weeks. However, some developed severe difficulty breathing, and about 10% died. A doctor's evaluation Tests to identify the virus SARS is suspected only if people who may have been exposed to an infected person have a fever plus a cough or difficulty breathing. Tests can be done to identify the virus. Isolation If needed, oxygen Sometimes a ventilator to help with breathing If doctors think a person may have SARS, the person is isolated in a room with a ventilation system that limits the spread of microorganisms in the air. In the first and only outbreak of SARS, such isolation kept the virus from being transmitted and eventually eliminated it. People with mild symptoms need no specific treatment. Those with moderate difficulty breathing may need to be given oxygen. Those with severe difficulty breathing may need mechanical ventilation to aid breathing. 