Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a serious form of pneumonia. It is caused by a virus that was first identified in 2003.

Infection with the SARS virus causes acute respiratory distress (severe breathing difficulty) and sometimes death.

World Health Organization (WHO) physician Dr. Carlo Urbani identified SARS as a new disease in 2003. He diagnosed it in a 48-year-old businessman who had traveled from the Guangdong province of China, through Hong Kong, to Hanoi, Vietnam. The businessman and the doctor who first diagnosed SARS both died from the illness.

 SARS is the first severe and readily transmissible new disease to emerge in the 21st century The 2003 outbreak had an estimated 8,000 cases and 750 deaths. A cumulative total of 7761 probable cases, with 623 deaths, is reported from 28 countries. Of this total, 5209 cases and 282 deaths are reported from mainland China. On 5 July 2003- WHO reported that the last human chain of transmission of SARS in that epidemic had been broken

 SARS is caused by a member of the coronavirus family of viruses (the same family that can cause the common cold). Coronaviruses are a family of enveloped, single-strandedRNA viruses causing disease in humans and animals. The term "SARS-CoV infection" is used when referring to the transmission of the SARS coronavirus and includes both symptomatic and asymptomatic infections.

 It is believed the 2003 epidemic started when the virus spread from small mammals in China. The etiological agent, the SARS Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is believed to be an animal virus that crossed the species barrier to humans recently when ecological changes or changes in human behavior increased opportunities for human exposure to the virus and virus adaptation, enabling human-tohuman transmission. The masked palm civet is most often associated with animal-to-human transmission; however, whether the civet is the natural reservoir of SARS-like coronaviruses remains unproven. The modes and routes of inter-species transmission from animals to humans or to other animal species need further investigation.

 SARS Virus can transmitted through inhalation of respiratory droplet aerosols; virus can also be spread via the fecal-oral route, and through fomites When someone with SARS coughs or sneezes, infected droplets spray into the air. The SARS virus may live on hands, tissues, and other surfaces for up to 6 hours in these droplets and up to 3 hours after the droplets have dried. Live virus has even been found in the stool of people with SARS, where it has been shown to live for up to 4 days. The virus may be able to live for months or years when the temperature is below freezing.

Symptoms usually occur about 2 to 10 days after coming in contact with the virus.

Clinical evidence for SARS Public Health Surveillance A clinical case of SARS is an individual with: 1. A history of fever, or documented fever 38 C (100.4 F). AND 2. One or more symptoms of lower respiratory tract illness (cough, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath) AND 3. Radiographic evidence of lung infiltrates consistent with pneumonia or ARDS or autopsy findings consistent with the pathology of pneumonia or ARDS without an identifiable cause. AND 4. No alternative diagnosis can fully explain the illness.

Period of communicability
From onset of symptoms until 10 days after resolution of fever. Communicability is variable..

 SARS has affected persons in all age groups; there has been a slight predominance of female patients. The majority of the cases are adults. Children are less commonly affected than adults and usually have a milder illness. The commonest age group is 25-70 yrs. old. Viruses in the coronavirus family are known for their ability to change (mutate) in order to spread among humans. It is stable in feces and urine at room temperature for at least 1-2 days. Higher in stools from patients with diarrhea (the pH of which is higher than that of normal stool). But heating to 56C inactivates SARS-CoV relatively quickly. Furthermore, the agent loses its infectivity after exposure to different commonly-used disinfectants and fixatives.

Treatment: There is currently no specific treatment for SARS. It is recommended individuals infected with SARS be treated with the same techniques as any other severe pneumonia. Antibiotics to treat bacteria that cause pneumonia Antiviral medications High doses of steroids to reduce swelling in the lungs Oxygen, breathing support (mechanical ventilation), or chest therapy Methods of Prevention and Control: Maintain good personal hygiene Wear a mask properly Keep the environment clean and hygienic Ensure good ventilation Adopt a healthy lifestyle

Rules and Regulation: Form two groups (Volunteers, assigned, Boys vs. Girls, Row 1 vs. Row 2 etc.) Each group will have five representatives. The score of the other students will depend on the performance of their chosen group. There will be 3 questions to be answer. Two same questions will be asked to each group and the other one will be picked by the member. Each group will be given 2 minutes to answer the three questions. While the first group is answering, the 2nd group will stay outside. The first question will be given to the first member then send to the next member and so on, until the last member receive it and write the answer on the paper provided. After answering the first question they can now proceed to the next question then third question. If the first member already knows the answer he can directly send it to the next member. Bawal magpass or magproceed agad sa next question if they didnt know the answer. They cant change or replace the answer. Wrong spelling is wrong. No superimposition. The group who will finish in a short period of time and got all the correct answers will win. There will be a tie breaker question in case of draw. The winner will get a 20/25/30 and the loser will get 5/10/15 out of 30.