SARS - Colorado College

Cases of SARS, a respiratory illness, have recently been reported in Asia, North America, and Europe. SARS is caused by a "coronavirus", a member of a group of viruses that cause about 30 percent of all common colds.

Who is at risk for SARS?

Most of the U.S. cases of SARS have occurred among travelers returning to the United States from other parts of the world such as Toronto, Taiwan, China, Singapore, and Vietnam. There have been very few cases resulting from recent close contact to family members, health care workers, or caring for a SARS infected patient. Casual contact with SARS patients at schools, other institutions, or public gatherings (e.g., attending the same class or meeting) has not resulted in documented transmission in the United States. Currently, there is no evidence that SARS is spreading any further throughout the United States community.

How does SARS spread?

The primary way SARS appears to spread is by close person-to-person contact. Most cases of SARS have involved people who cared for or lived with someone with SARS, or had direct contact with infectious material (i.e., respiratory secretions) from a person who has SARS. Potential ways in which SARS can be spread include touching SARS contaminated skin or objects and then touching your eye(s), nose, or mouth. This can happen when someone who is sick with SARS coughs or sneezes droplets onto themselves, other people, or nearby surfaces. It is also possible, but not proven, that SARS can be spread more broadly through air or by other modalities that are currently not known.

Symptoms of SARS

The incubation period (the time between exposure and the first symptoms) for SARS is usually 2 to 7 days, and can be as long as 10 days. The illness may begin with a high fever (>101 F), shaking chills, headache, and muscle aches. At the onset of illness, individuals have mild respiratory symptoms. After 3 to 7 days, individuals develop a dry, nonproductive cough or shortness of breath. To assist with determining the possibility of exposure, click the following links for the SARS Screening and SARS Contact - History and Symptom Log.

Seeking treatment

People with symptoms of SARS should call a health-care provider or hospital emergency room for instructions before appearing at the office or hospital. Most health care providers have implemented infection control procedures to prevent transmission to others during transport or in the health-care setting. If necessary, Boettcher Health Center will provide a hand sanitizer and masks in the vestibule entry of the facility. If a traveler or visitor from an affected area develops fever or respiratory symptoms including cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing within 10 days of return to the United States, they should be isolated from others for 72 hours, in order to see if their illness progresses to meet the SARS case definition. If they are not ill enough to be hospitalized, they will be asked to self-isolate in their residence. If symptoms improve or resolve within 72 hours, they can return to their usual activities. To find out more about SARS, visit the websites of the Center for Disease Control at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/ and the World Health Organization at www.who.int/csr/sars/en/ The websites are updated daily.