Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

Up-To-Date Details as of March 26

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

- The Global Death toll from the mysterious illness is increasing daily.

- SARS is believed to have originated in southern China

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

• 487 confirmed cases of infection

• 22 confirmed deaths

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

• Countries with reported casesCanada – 11 with 3 deathsFrance – 1 Germany – 4Italy – 2Ireland – 1

Singapore – 69

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

• Countries with reported cases Switzerland – 2

Taiwan – 6

Thailand – 5

United Kingdom – 3

United States – 39

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

Vietnam reported 58 cases with 4 deaths

China reported 350 cases with 5 deaths

Hong Kong reported 286 cases with 10 deaths

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

• The World Health Organization issued a global alert

• Asia’s tourist industry has suffered

• Sporting events have been canceled

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

• The illness is taking an effect on Hong Kong’s economy

• Tourism and hospitality trade is down 20%

• The secrecy of China’s government is questioned

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

• Many people have been quarantined due to contact with the illness

• In Singapore 704 have been quarantined– if the quarantine is broken they will be fined

$5,000 (in Singapore dollars)

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

• All schools including colleges have been closed in China until April 6th

• 4 schools in Hong Kong have been closed

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

• What is SARS? – It is a virus

• What are the symptoms? – High fever, head ache, soar throat & cough

• How is it transmitted?– spreads person to person & is airborne

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

• What is the source of SARS? – Nothing is confirmed

– The initial source of the illness was in China

– An infected man carried the disease to Hong Kong’s Metropolis Hotel

– Others contracted the illness the spread it as they traveled

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

• China– Health statistics are politically sensitive in

China– Reporting on disease outbreaks is frequently

suppressed– Reports have been made that last year

China’s government ordered newspapers not to print information about the outbreak

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

• Since the outbreak there has been a call for international health reform and for coordinated international response to outbreaks

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

• Little is known about the outbreak.

• The World Health Organization claims that the condition could have existed, unnoticed, for many years.

• Sources: The Japan Times

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgibin/getarticle.p15?ed20030326al.htm

BBC newsHtttp://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2880093.stmhttp://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2856735.

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CNN.COMhttp://cnn.health.printhis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&expire=-1&ur1ID=5813620&fbhttp://cnn.health.printhis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?

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