Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

Essay by dwighthaynieUniversity, Bachelor'sA+, June 2003

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Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)

Severe acute respiratory syndrome also known as (SARS) is a newly identified clinical entity that has gained global recognition as being the next possible global epidemic. SARS has rapidly spread to several countries and appears to have the capacity to extend to all points of the globe. Doctors and researchers around the world have mounted the difficult task of identifying the nature of this unknown virus in an attempt to render effective methods of containment and disposal of SARS.

The origination of SARS is unknown, however its roots have been determined to lie within China. China's irresponsible management of the initial phases of this virus has rendered them the partial culprit for its rapid dispersion. The initial attempt to suppress and cover up the growing epidemic during its inception in November of 2002 prolonged the global medical communities awareness of the growing severity of the problem.

Physicians and journalists were silenced. One physician was quoted as saying, "we were told to keep our mouths shut about it". Hence, as the virus rapidly spread the possibility of isolating SARS and its specific starting off point became increasingly difficult. The best estimate to date is that SARS spread beyond southern China occurred in February in the territory around the Metropole Hotel, where an infected doctor likely infected 12 people who then took the virus global.i

Fortunately, and without China's assistance, a 10-day search performed by 11 labs from nine countries was begun. The search, lead by the World Health Organization (WHO), began out of concern for the need of global resources to identify the virus. It also served as the beginning of global dissemination about the possible dangers involved. The result of the search yielded some hope as a pathogen was found. What was discovered has since...