Download Juliana Sledziewski SARS, also known as severe acute respiratory

Juliana Sledziewski
SARS, also known as severe acute respiratory syndrome, is a serious form of pneumonia.
Dr. Carl Urbani first identified the disease back in 2003 when he diagnosed a businessman who
was traveling to Vietnam from China. Both the man who was identified as having SARS and Dr.
Urbani both died of the disease. It was later hypothesized that the initial spread of SARS was due
to small mammals in China carrying the virus and people exposed to the virus were able to
spread it. After the disease was seen to have spread to thousands of people around the world, the
World Health Association called it a global health threat because it was able to spread so
quickly.
SARS is caused by a member of the coronavirus family; another member of the same
family is one which causes the common cold. SARS is spread through the air: if someone who is
infected coughs or sneezes, the infected particles are able to stay airborne or on surfaces for up to
6 hours in droplet form and an additional 3 hours after the droplets have dried. The virus is even
able to live for months or years if the temperature conditions are below freezing. Because the
virus that causes SARS is part of the same family that contains a virus that causes the common
cold, it is often common for a person to become infected with SARS and then become reinfected with the illness.
The “hallmark symptoms” of the disease are cough, difficulty breathing, fever greater
than 100.4oF, and other breathing symptoms. Doctors commonly test for the illness through
arterial blood tests, blood clotting tests, blood chemistry tests, a chest x-ray or CT scan, and a
complete blood count. Once the patient is diagnosed with SARS, doctors may prescribe
antibiotics that treat bacteria known to cause pneumonia, antiviral medications, or high doses of
steroids to take down the swelling in the lungs.
Juliana Sledziewski
The World Health Association recommends some methods to prevent the spread of
SARS. Some of these include washing your hands often with antibacterial soap or cleaning with
an alcohol-based instant hand sanitizer and clean commonly touched surfaces with an approved
disinfectant.
Website Used: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0004460/