SARS is a viral respiratory disease caused by a new strain of coronavirus. The earliest case was traced to China in 2002 and spread to over 30 countries, infecting over 8,000 people and killing nearly 1,000. In India, only 3 probable cases were reported. SARS is transmitted through respiratory droplets from infected individuals. It has an incubation period of 2-7 days and a case fatality rate of around 11%. Symptoms include fever, cough and difficulty breathing. There is no vaccine for SARS, so prevention focuses on early detection, isolation, hand washing and disinfection. Treatment involves antiviral drugs and systemic corticosteroids.

1. SARS
(Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome)

2. DEFINITION
 SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome)
is a communicable viral disease, caused by a
new strain of coronavirus, which differs
considerably in genetic structure from
previously recognized coronavirus.

4. OCCURENCE
 WORLD
The earliest case was traced to a health care
worker in China, in late 2002, with rapid
spread to Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam,
Taiwan and Toronto.
As of early August 2003, about 8,442 cases
(573 deaths) were reported to the WHO from
30 countries with 916 fatalities.
Till date there is no known SARS case
anywhere in the world.
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 INDIA
Only 3 probable cases of SARS was
reported from India (one each in West
Bengal, Gujarat and Karnataka).

6. Agent
(Coronavirus)
Environment
(Overcrowding,
sewage, faeces,
cockroaches)
Host
(Health care
workers)
EPIDEMIOLO-
GICALTRIAD
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 AGENT FACTORS
Causative agent – New strain of Coronavirus
Present in infective materials of eyes, nose
and mouth, and infectious respiratory
droplets.
Maximum virus excretion occurs for about 10
days of illness.
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 HOST FACTORS
Occurs among health care workers, involved
in procedures which generate aerosols.
Rarely occurs in infants.
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 ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
It is an airborne disease.
The virus can survive for hours on plastic
surfaces at room temperature for at least 24
hours.
It can live for longer time period in cold.

10. MODES OF
TRANSMISSION
 Close contact with patient
 Infectious respiratory droplets

11. INCUBATION
PERIOD
 The incubation period is 2 – 7 days.

12. CASE
FATALITY
RATIO
 The overall case fatality ratio is 11% but with
much higher rates among elderly persons.
NOTE:
Case fatality ratio is the proportion of deaths
from a certain disease compared to the total
number of people diagnosed with the disease
for a particular period.

13. CLINICAL
MANIFESTA-
TIONS
 Fever
 Headache
 Myalgia
 Malaise
 Cough
 Sore throat
 Running nose
 Dizziness
Some cases require ventilatory support due
to low oxygen saturation.

14. DIAGNOSIS
 Conventional reverse transcriptase PCR
(RT-PCR) and real-time reverse transcriptase
PCR (real-time RT-PCR) assay
 Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
(ELISA) and immunofluorescent assay (IFA)

15. PREVENTION
There is NO VACCINE present against SARS.
Preventive measures are :
 Identification
 Notification
 Isolation
 Use of protective devices
 Hand washing
 Disinfectants
 Screening

16. TREATMENT
 Systemic corticosteroids
 Ribavirin, lopinavir / ritonavir, interferon type 1,
intravenous immunoglobulin