▪ ORIGIN:
• Viral respiratory disease of zoonotic origin.
• The disease first infected the humans in the Guangdong province of Southern China in November 2002.
• The SARS was identified in 2003.
• The syndrome caused the 2002-2004 SARS Outbreak.
• The viral outbreak can be genetically traced to a colony of cave dwelling horseshoe bats in China's Yunnan province.
• During the start of the epidemic in November 2002 in Guangdong, despite taking some action to control it ,the Chinese government officials did not inform the World health organisation about the outbreak till February 2003.This lead to the 2002-2004 SARS outbreak.
▪ CAUSE:
• The disease is caused by SARS Coronavirus - SARS-CoV or SARS-CoV-1.
• SARS-CoV-1 virus is thought to be of animal origin.
• In late 2017, the Chinese scientists traced that the virus is spread by the cave dwelling horseshoe bats with CIVET CATS as the
intermediary.
▪ TRANSMISSION:
• The virus is transmitted person to person through droplets that enter air when the person with disease coughs or sneezes or talks.
How does it spread?
• By airborne respiratory droplets (coughs or sneezes).
• By touching a contaminated surface (blanket or doorknob).
• By saliva (kissing or shared drinks).
• By skin-to-skin contact (handshakes or hugs).
▪ SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS:
• Flu like symptoms which include Fever,cough, headache, sore throat, muscle pain, lethargy and difficulty breathing.
• The only symptom common among all the patients is 38°C(100°F).
• SARS may eventually lead to shortness of breath and pneumonia.
• The average incubation period of SARS is 4-6 days, although it could as short as 1 day or as long as 14 days.
▪ DIAGNOSIS :
• For a case to be considered probable, the Chest X ray must be positive for Atypical pneumonia or Respiratory distress syndrome.
• The WHO has added the category of "laboratory confirmed SARS" for patients who would otherwise be considered "probable" but who have not yet had a positive chest X-ray changes, but have tested positive for SARS based on one of the approved tests (ELISA, immunofluorescence or PCR)
▪ TREATMENT:
• Treatment of SARS is mainly supportive with
➢ Antipyretics
➢ Supplemental Oxygen
➢ Mechanical ventilation
➢ Anti viral medications are used
➢ High dose steroids are used to reduce swelling in lungs
➢ Antibiotics may be used against secondary bacterial infections.
• People with SARS-CoV must be isolated in Negative pressure rooms with complete barrier nursing precautions.
• In certain cases, natural ventilation by opening doors and windows are documented to help decreasing indoor concentration of virus particles.
▪ HOW THE POPULATION IS AFFECTED??
• SARS was a relatively rare disease; at the end of the epidemic in June 2003, the incidence was 8,422 cases with a case fatality (CFR) of 11%.
❖ Frequency: 8098 cases
❖ Deaths:774
❖ Progonsis: 9.5% chance of death(all countries)
• The case fatality rate (CFR) ranges from 0% to 50% depending on the age group of the patient. Patients under 24 were least likely to die (less than 1%); those 65 and older were most likely to die (over 55%).
DATE OF CONTAINMENT:
• The World health organisation declared Severe Acute Respiratory syndrome contained on
5th JULY 2003.
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