SARS Outbreak Of 2002 | Little-Known Facts About SARS Outbreak

The SARS short form for “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome” also known as SARS CoV is caused by the SARS Coronavirus. The Coronavirus is primarily related to causing infections in both animals and humans. Let’s read some more facts about the SARS outbreak in the further depth of this article.

History of SARS Outbreak

The SARS outbreak started in November of 2002. It is basically a form of typical pneumonia. It started spreading from China, where this threat started infecting more than 5,300 people and killed almost nearly 349 people in the country itself. This is when the WHO ( World Health Organization ) reported declaring it “a worldwide health threat”. The first case of SARS is reported to have been in the Guangdong province of southern China.

The strain of SARS CoV is thought to be a strain of Coronavirus that has mutated and started to infect Humans. This epidemic has affected 26 countries and it has resulted in more than 8,000 cases in 2003. The SARS outbreak mainly spreads through Human transmission, that is, primarily from one person to another. The incubation of the virus is said to be about 2 weeks and it is during this time that the virus is at its peak.

Symptoms

Symptoms are basically:

• influenza-like and include fever, malaise, myalgia, headache, diarrhea, and shivering.
• extreme fatigue.
• headaches.
• chills.
• muscle pain.
• loss of appetite.

In its peak the virus starts to affect our lungs and our respiratory system and leads to additional symptoms such as:

• breathing difficulties.
• a dry cough.

This may later lead to be vary fatal.

The Spread

SARS is said to spread from one person to another person. Whenever an infected person sneezes, coughs, or comes in contact with another person, the chances of spread are very high. Surfaces contaminated with the virus also contribute to the spread of the virus. These contaminated surfaces may contain fluids/bodily fluids of an infected person.

So, whenever a person comes in contact with such infected surfaces or comes in contact with an infected person and later on touches his/her eyes, mouth or nose. The person may be at high risk of conceiving the virus.

SARS Diagnosis

Earlier there were no such lab tests to detect SARS. The diagnosis was entirely based on symptoms and the medical history of the patient. But now thanks to our doctors, many laboratory tests can be done on patients by taking a look at their nasal and throat swabs or blood samples. CT scans and X-rays can also be performed to check whether a person is suffering from pneumonia or not which is a characteristic of the SARS virus.

Cure

‘How the SARS outbreak was prevented from spreading?’ is a question that arises in everyone’s mind. There are still no vaccines available for the SARS virus since there have been no working human trials. PREVENTION was the cure that was found in the case of SARS. It was the joint effort of all the people in the world that had stopped the virus from spreading any further. The measures that were taken by people all over the world include :

• Washing of hands as frequently as possible
• Covering of mouth and nose by wearing different types of surgical masks.
• Disinfecting the surfaces of households and those around.
• Wearing hand gloves before touching any surface.
• Isolating individuals that have been suspected of having the virus.
• Consulting a doctor from time to time.
• Doing exercises and yoga to keep their immune system strong

It was because of the preventive mindset of the people that the SARS outbreak of the virus is now not prevailing in this world.

In each of the cases of a World Epidemic, it has been found that the collective effort of each and every individual has played a significant role in stopping a deadly virus. So like that, we can also fight the present covid-19 pandemic. We should also take preventive measures to fight covid-19 and spread as much awareness as we can.

WE SHOULD ALWAYS LOOKOUT FOR EACH OTHER AND FIGHT TOGETHER!