SARS
SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome)
SARS (pronounced /sɑːrz/), an acronym for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, is a viral respiratory illness caused by a coronavirus, called SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV). The disease was first identified in Guangdong province, southern China, in November 2002.
Etymology
The term "SARS" is derived from the disease's full name, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. The word "severe" refers to the intensity of the disease, "acute" indicates its rapid onset, "respiratory" pertains to the part of the body it affects, and "syndrome" denotes a group of symptoms that consistently occur together.
Symptoms
SARS typically begins with flu-like signs and symptoms — fever, chills, muscle aches and sometimes diarrhea. After about a week, SARS patients might develop a dry cough and most patients develop pneumonia.
Transmission
SARS is primarily spread through droplets that enter the air when someone with the disease coughs, sneezes, or talks. It can also spread by touching a surface contaminated by the virus and then touching the face.
Prevention and Treatment
There is currently no cure for SARS, but infection can be prevented through regular hand washing, avoiding close contact with people who are sick, and practicing good hygiene.
Related Terms
- Coronavirus: A type of virus. There are many different kinds, and some of them can cause disease. The newly identified coronavirus caused the 2019-2020 outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2).
- Pneumonia: Inflammation of the lungs caused by an infection.
- Epidemic: A widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time.
- Pandemic: An epidemic of disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents, or worldwide.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on SARS
- Wikipedia's article - SARS
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