SARS Outbreak Analysis
SARS is an infection caused by the coronavirus that is also known as SARS-CoV (Centre
for Health Protection: 2007). The discovery was surprising because it was thought to be a
respiratory illness like pneumonia and in fact, in Vietnam, there were supposedly cases of
“atypical pneumonia” (Genetic Science Learning Center). What’s more interesting is that it
began in Guangdong Province in China when a man was first infected likely from some animal
and later spread the virus in a hotel at Hong Kong where he stayed (CDC: 2003: Figure 1). As
seen in Figure 1, the other people who stayed at the hotels eventually contracted SARS as well
and spread it to other various countries in Asia such as Singapore and Vietnam, but also to even
farther places such as Canada and the U.S. (CDC: 2003: Figure 1).
To prevent SARS, the single best method is to maintain proper hygiene which involves
the following practices: washing hands after touching objects or face, using soap and/or alcohol
solution, and not sharing any objects such as utensils (Centre for Health Protection: 2007). As
always, coughing and sneezing are the most effective ways of passing any bacteria or virus;
therefore, it is common sense to maintain safe ways by covering oneself. The surrounding living
area or habitat will also need to be properly cleaned. Since viruses readily mutate, the chance of
encountering new strains increases as new people contract the virus and migrate to various places
such as those mentioned in the beginning. To treat SARS, the only way would be a vaccine such
as those for polio or measles. Since SARS has been effectively mapped out, a vaccine can be
created and a mild version of the virus can be introduced into a person’s immune system
(Genetic Science Learning Center).
In the United States, scientists and researchers utilized a set of guidelines just like for
other diseases and viruses. In these, the two main preventive methods outlined were
respiratory/cough hygiene and etiquette and hand washing (CDC: 2012). Furthermore, healthcare
workers had to be more cautious than the public because of their work setting and the presence
of patients. These basic guidelines were extremely similar to the ones listed in the previous
paragraph. This included avoiding any contact with objects and directly washing hands after to
prevent any germs from getting near the most vulnerable parts of the body such as the face that
has many openings. Overall, there was no major difference in the way the preventive methods
were carried out. It was essentially effective communication which helped scientists and
researchers to reach out to the public to ultimately prevent SARS from becoming an epidemic.
References:
Infection Control. (2012, October 9). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved
December 19, 2013, from [Link]
Mendoza, M. (n.d.). SARS: THE FIRST NEW VIRUS OF THE 21st [Link]:
The First New Virus of the 21st Century. Retrieved December 17, 2013, from
[Link]
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). (2007, November 23). Centre for Health
Protection. Retrieved December 19, 2013, from [Link]
Update: Outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome --- Worldwide, 2003. (2003,
March 27). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved December 19, 2013, from
[Link]