Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or SARS is caused by a "corona virus," a member of a group of viruses that cause about 30% of all common colds.  SARS was first identified in Southern China in October of 2002 and was recognized as a global illness in March 2003.  SARS is defined as a complex of symptoms and exposure histories.

SARS can be suspected if:

1.  there is a documented fever of 100.5 degrees or
     higher

2.  and cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty
     breathing

3.  and a history of recent travel to a SARS affected
     area or exposure to someone with known SARS.

The incubation period, the time between exposure and the first symptoms is usually 2-10 days.  The first signs of illness are a high fever, sometimes associated with shaking chills, and sometimes headache and muscle aches.  Respiratory symptoms may not develop until 3 days later.  This phase may include a dry non-productive cough, shortness of breath and low blood oxygen levels.  The overall mortality rate for those affected is 6-15% and increases with age and underlying chronic illness.

Transmission appears to be spread by close person-to-person contact through respiratory droplets that comes from coughing or sneezing onto other people or surfaces.   There also appears to be spread through the stool of affected individuals.  The virus may also survive for hours or days outside the body on inanimate objects.  Transmission occurs when a person touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth after contact with infected respiratory material.  There have been no confirmed cases of airborne transmission.  The great majority of transmission has occurred to health care workers.

SARS affected areas include Hong Kong and mainland China, Singapore, Taiwan, Hanoi, Vietnam, and Toronto, Canada.

Advice to the Traveler:

During your recent travel, you may have been exposed to cases of SARS.  You should monitor your health for at least 10 days.  The most important thing you can do is take your temperature twice a day for 10 days and record it.  If you do not have a thermometer you can purchase a digital thermometer from the Student Health Center for $5.00, or from any grocery or drug store.  If you become ill with fever, cough, or have difficulty breathing, you should seek medical help. 

PRIOR to your visit to the Student Health Center, local physician, or Emergency Room, contact them by telephone and tell them about your recent travel regions and whether you were in contact with someone who has these symptoms.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment issued guidelines for Colorado Universities accepting students from SARS-affected areas.  They state that there is no reported risk of SARS spread in college students or in dormitory settings.  The chance that any student coming from an affected area will have SARS is very small.  The UNC Student Health Center is developing a plan for the unlikely event that one or more students will require isolation due to suspected or confirmed SARS.

Up-to-date information and guidelines regarding SARS may be found at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website at:  http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/