by Angela Mcelroy

Created on: June 17, 2009

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome also known as SARS is a disease caused by the coronavirus. The coronavirus is the cause of respiratory tract infections animals, including humans and livestock. This disease affects the respiratory system in humans. Through a variety of studies, scientists theorize that it is very likely the disease originated in bats and spread to humans through market animals. The disease does not affect the bats but they are probably natural reservoirs for the disease.

To date there has only been one near SARS pandemic. The outbreak began in South China. During November 2002 through July 2003 there were 8,096 known SARS cases. There were 774 deaths from the disease. It only took weeks for the disease to spread to 37 countries. There was no death from SARS in the United States, however there were 8 people found to have the disease. These people became infected while abroad. The last known infected human was in 2003. The disease has been contained since 2006. Scientists do not claim that the disease is gone completely. It could still be present in its natural reservoir. It is possible that the humans could be infected again.

The disease could be passed through sexual or casual contact with an infected person. The first sign of SARS would be flu-like symptoms. These may include fever, tiredness, stomach problems, coughing,and sore throat. All these symptoms may not be found in everyone with SARS. The one consistent symptom is a fever of 38 degrees Celsius or above. With the progression of the disease the individual will have shortness of breath.

There are tests to determine if a person has SARS. Unfortunately, they all have drawbacks. There are tests that can determine if a person has SARS but only after days of being infected. Other tests are labor intensive and take a great bit of time. Research is ongoing to find a better way to diagnose SARS.

SARS is a viral disease. Antibiotics will not have any affect on this disease. SARS is mostly treated with antipyretics and oxygen. It maybe necessary to place the patient on a ventilator. Those suspected to have the disease are isolated and placed in a negative pressure room if possible. Drugs used to treat other diseases such as AIDs. hepatitis, and influenza have been tested on SARS coronavirus

Scientists believe that the bodies immune system overreacting to the virus causes the most damage. They are researching the theory. Corticosteroids and Ribovirin are the two most commonly used drugs in the treatment of SARS. It is still a rare disease. More research is ongoing in the causes and treatments of SARS. Scientists are currently working on a vaccine.

Source:

www.wikipedia.org

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