SARS

Our Approach

SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) is extremely rare, and there are no effective drug therapies to cure it. At Franciscan Health, our doctors treat SARS patients like people who have pneumonia. Care usually involves symptom management, rest and transmission prevention.

How is SARS diagnosed?

To diagnose SARS, your doctor will examine you and ask about your recent travel schedule, especially the previous 10 days. SARS takes between two and 10 days to develop after a patient has been exposed to the virus.

Laboratory tests can also confirm the presence of SARS. You may get an X-ray to determine if the illness has progressed to pneumonia as well.

What is SARS?

SARS is a highly contagious, serious upper respiratory illness. SARS is from a family of viruses called coronaviruses. Coronaviruses are also responsible for the common cold and COVID-19.

SARS shows how easily diseases can spread through air travel. It was first reported in China in November 2002. Within seven months, 8,400 people were infected across Asia, Europe and North America. SARS disappeared almost as quickly: Health officials haven't recorded a single transmission of the illness since 2004.

SARS patients are vulnerable to pneumonia. At the height of the SARS outbreak, the death rate was about 10%, although there were no fatalities in North America.

There is no vaccine for SARS. Because of its contagious nature, anything an infected person has touched needs to be washed thoroughly. Patients should also wear face masks whenever possible.

How do you get SARS?

The virus can be transmitted by direct contact with:

• An infected person
• Objects contaminated by droplets from a SARS patient's cough or sneeze

SARS symptoms

Early symptoms of SARS resemble flu symptoms and then progress. They include:

• Chills
• Cough that is often unproductive
• Diarrhea
• Difficulty breathing
• Fever of at least 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit
• Headaches
• Muscle aches