Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)

Abstract

SARS is the respiratory disease that was discovered in the year 2003 as the global alert. It is the deadly life threatening disease which accounts several deaths all over the world. World Health Organization (WHO) is the first who identified this disease, and it spread internationally after its discovery for months since the disease outbreak ended in the year 2003. Since year 2004, there are no cases found, although WHO has issued several reports and publications on the international travel and guidance for the several group of people from its prevention. Number of characteristics account for the SARS including fever, cough, head and body ache, disturbance in breathing and pneumonia.Table of Contents

Abstractii

Introduction1

Discussion2

Characteristics of SARS2

Symptoms2

Conclusion3

References5

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)

Introduction

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was first identified in 2003 by Dr. Cario Urbani, is a form of the virus which causes human body severe respiratory distress (breathing difficulty). Dr. Cario was the physician in World Health Organization. He discovered this disease when he first diagnosed a 48-year old person. SARS is associated with corona virus which is the form of common cold and previously known as Coronaviridae (Tsang et al, 2003).

SARS was spreading very quickly throughout the world when it was reported. World Health Organization reported number of infectious cases and deaths until the outbreak ended in 2003. According to the figures of World Health Organization (2003, http://www.who.int), out of total number of 6583 cases, the number of deaths are 461 in 27 countries. The fatality ratio ranges from 0 to 50% depending upon the age group of the person. It is 1% in the people of age group of 24 years and younger, 6% in the people of age group greater than 24 years and less than 46 years, 15% in the age group of 46-64 years and 50% in the age group of people of 65 and greater (Fouchier et al., 2003).

SARS cases are found in all parts of the world. U.S reported only 8% of the infectious people out of the total. They are found to be travelled to those parts of the world, where the SARS was first identified (Lee et al., 2003).

Discussion

Characteristics of SARS

Symptoms

SARS have a number of symptoms and signs, by which a disease is characterized to be a SARS. A person having fever of 38 C degree is considered to have infected by SARS. Many other symptoms like, headache, ...