Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)

SARS Health Alert

A health alert has been issued about a new Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).  Cases have been linked to travel to Peoples' Republic of China
(i.e., mainland China and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region); Taiwan , Hanoi , Vietnam ; and Singapore .

Persons with SARS have a:

• Fever (>38 o C [100.4 o F]) and

• Cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty in breathing, and
• History of travel to Taiwan within 10 days of symptom onset or Close contact (within 10 days of symptom onset) to persons with respiratory illness having the above travel history.  Close contact includes having cared for, lived with, or had direct contact with respiratory secretions and body fluid of a person with SARS.

If you are concerned that you might have SARS:

• Call Student Health Services at 678-2287 ask to speak to a nurse
• Or you can be evaluated at any emergency department in the city.

For updated information on SARS:

• http://www.who.int/csr/scrs/en/
• http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/

If you are planning to travel, the CDC and WHO have recommendations regarding the outbreak of SARS:

• http://www.cdc.gov/travel/other/acute resp syn multi.htm
• http://www.who.int/mediacentre/releases/2003/pr23/en/