The SARS outbreak in South Asia in 2002 made headlines mainly because of how it spread to so many nations in a matter of weeks. This outbreak forced the scientists and researchers to conduct intensive research studies to understand the etiological agent of the disease and the preventive and curative methods to treat the disease. However, the scientists had to ensure that they undertook several precautionary measures to prevent the spread of this disease into the US.
The Etiologic Agent of SARS and Why the Discovery was Surprising
The scientists who conducted the research established that SARS is caused by a SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) a virus in the coronavirus family, which is also associated with the common cold (Gonzalez, nd). The 2003 epidemic was a surprising discovery since the SARS virus came from small Chinese mammals and spread to humans (CDC, 2013). The SARS virus was able to spread at a very fast rate since the infected droplets were trapped in the air once someone with SARS coughed or sneezed. As a result, many more people were exposed to the virus all at once, which made this disease spread at an alarming rate.
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Preventive and Curative Methods to Treat This Disease
The scientists who worked on SARS discovered that SARs was airborne and as such, they would adopt the same preventive and curative methods that are used with airborne viruses. The main preventive methods used to prevent the spread were isolation and quarantine (Gonzalez, nd). Infected individuals would be isolated and receive individualized treatment. More so, the caregivers are supposed to wear surgical masks and wash their hands with household cleaners once they handle infected individuals to reduce the chances of contracting the disease (CDC, 2013). As it is, there is no cure for SARS but there are ongoing efforts to find a vaccine. Patients with SARS can only get supportive treatment to help them breathe via a ventilator.
Precautionary measures that scientists and researchers in the United States took to shield the country from a SARS epidemic
The US researchers and scientists isolated households with SARS patients, enforced travel restrictions, and made accommodations for health care workers who may have had any contact with SARS patients (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2013). These measures ensured that SARS did not become an epidemic
References
Centers for Disease Control. (2013). Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Retrieved on July 26, 2018, from http://www.cdc.gov/sars/index.html
Gonzalez, S. (nd.) Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) facts. MedicineNet.com. Retrieved on July 26 2018, from https://www.medicinenet.com/mers_middle_east_respiratory_syndrome/article.htm#what_are_sars_symptoms_and_signs
Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). (2013). SARS: A Pandemic Prevented. Retrieved on July 26, 2018, from https://www.ucsusa.org/center-for-science-and-democracy/case-studies/sars.html#.W1mOU2AzayI
