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November 12, 2004


Global Alert: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)

Updated August 7, 2003

map

Click the map for a worldwide breakdown of SARS cases.
Get a breakdown of U.S. SARS cases by state.

* 8,458 worldwide

* 807 deaths

SOURCE: World Health Organization, June 24, 2003.

While outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) continue
to abate in most places, it is back in Toronto, and most experts agree
that SARS is here to stay. Despite decreases in the number of new case
reports in mainland China, Hong Kong, and other former disease
epicenters, scientists are calling for continued vigilance and
caution, as much remains to be known about the epidemiology and
natural history of the disease. Medscape's editors will continue to
keep you informed with this collection of reports, news, interviews,
and key resources on the unfolding SARS epidemic.


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SARS map used courtesy of
webmd

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Reports and Interviews

Battling SARS in Hong Kong: An Expert Interview With Thomas A.
Buckley, MD 5/14/03
Medscape discusses the current situation in Hong Kong with Dr.
Buckley, who helped keep colleagues up to date on the SARS outbreak as
it escalated.

The SARS Crisis in Canada: An Expert Interview With David Davis, MD
5/7/03
A week after WHO lifted the travel advisory on Toronto, a leading
physician steps back to evaluate the toll SARS has taken on the city.

More New Disease Outbreaks Likely After SARS 5/2/03
But the epidemic has enabled local, national, and international public
health organizations to demonstrate how well they can work together,
officials said at a SARS conference in Toronto.

Surgical Masks Likely to Protect Against SARS 5/1/03
Based on a case-control study, masks offer better protection against
droplet infection in healthcare workers than do gloves, gowns, and
hand-washing together.

SARS Outbreak in Canada: An Expert Interview With Randy Wax, MD, FRCPC
4/14/03
A Canadian intensivist shares his insights into the SARS outbreak.

Status of SARS in the US: An Expert Interview With Surgeon General
Richard H. Carmona, MD, MPH 4/11/03
Cooperation between different governmental and nongovernmental
agencies has led to an unprecedented public health response.

Follow-up on Canadian SARS Cases: An Expert Interview With Robert A.
Fowler, MD, MS 4/1/03
Updated information on diagnostics and treatment of severe acute
respiratory syndrome cases in Canada.

Two Cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome: An Expert Interview
With Robert A. Fowler, MD, MS 3/21/03
A clinical look at the SARS outbreak in North America.


Web Conference

SARS: Here Today, Here Tomorrow (Live Web conference: June 11, 2003,
7:00 pm Eastern)
Larry Anderson, MD, chief of the Respiratory and Enteric Viruses
Branch at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and
Georges Benjamin, MD, FACP, executive director of the American Public
Health Association, discussed what we have learned from SARS, and how
these lessons should be applied in the future. A question-and-answer
session followed the presentation.


Ask the Experts

The Infectious Nature of SARS 4/29/03
Are patients with SARS infectious to others during the incubation
period? Read the response from a member of Medscape Critical Care's
Ask the Experts panel.


MEDLINE Abstract Collection

MEDLINE Abstracts: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
Find out what's new with SARS, including treatment methods,
morphology, and genome sequence analysis.


Correspondence

SARS in Toronto -- Nurses on the Front Lines
Nurses are on duty 24 hours a day, exposed to and caring for people
with SARS. Medscape interviewed a Toronto RN to get a first-hand
account of the situation for nurses in that city.


CDC Guidelines

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Information Page


What Your Patients Are Reading

webmd
Mysterious Illness: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
Find handouts and frequently asked questions for easy distribution to
patients.


Other Related Links

Several articles and two editorials on SARS have been published by the
New England Journal of Medicine. Because of possible public health
implications, the full text of these articles is available on the NEJM
Web site at http://nejm.org/earlyrelease/sars.asp.

A paper, a commentary, and a guideline have been published by The
Lancet. Because of possible public health implications, these are
available in full text on The Lancet Web site,
http://www.thelancet.com.

"Preventing the Spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)," a
Public Health Training Network Live Satellite Webcast, was sponsored
by the World Health Organization and supported by Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. It was originally broadcast on April 4, 2003,
and is now available at
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/webcast/broadcast040403.htm.

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