Public Health Problem Severe acute respiratory syndrome also known as SARS was caused by an unfamiliar animal coronavirus that highly took advantage of the “wet markets” in southern China to adapt and succeed as an infectious virus between humans. Hospitals and international travel were the main pathways that led to a local outbreak and eventually to a global scale. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) between November 2002 and July 2003, the outbreak of SARS caused 8,096 cases and 774 deaths among different countries, Hong Kong being responsible for majority of them. The SARS outbreak was able to rapidly spread to 37 countries in the beginning of 2003.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome is a respiratory illness that can trigger …show more content…
Public health systems dealt with case finding and isolation, quarantine and helping those who were already infected in healthcare facilities and homes. Prevention of spreading this virus was the key to help the global outbreak. They were focused on decreasing the time that was spent during diagnosing the patient and isolating them. The Public Health system also made sure that everyone around the world was aware and educated about SARS. Toronto’s Public health system took severe measure in controlling the spread of SARS. They investigated and kept track of all the potential cases of SARS that were reported by clinicians and identified and quarantined anyone who had contact with the patients. Close contacts were people who took care of, lived with or had any face-to-face contact with a person infected with SARS. The close contacts were ordered to stay at home and follow 10 days of quarantine. The rules of being in quarantine required them to sleep separately from others, keep personal items such as towels and utensils to themselves and wearing a mask when around other people. In addition, Toronto’s public health system required hospitals to ban all unnecessary staff members and visitors to prevent the spread of SARS. In order to provide the best health care, it was required to screen all patients, staff and visitors before entering a hospital. …show more content…
Laboratory diagnosis of the severe acute respiratory syndrome aims at preventing a reoccurrence of SARS in 2002-2003. The complete genomic sequence of SARS has allowed for the development of some diagnostic tests. However, there is still a problem present in early diagnosis of SARS in non-research laboratories with minimum experience in molecular testing. During the 2003 SARS epidemic a study was conducted and the results show that there is a 99.9% N protein that can be efficient as an early diagnostic marker for SARS. In order to prevent future outbreaks, tests similar to these should be available at hospitals. Another step that is necessary to prevent reoccurrence is the development of a vaccine. Prior experience in dealing with infectious disease control leads to advocate that a vaccination will be the most effective way to prevent a future
Severe acute respiratory syndrome is a respiratory illness that can trigger …show more content…
Public health systems dealt with case finding and isolation, quarantine and helping those who were already infected in healthcare facilities and homes. Prevention of spreading this virus was the key to help the global outbreak. They were focused on decreasing the time that was spent during diagnosing the patient and isolating them. The Public Health system also made sure that everyone around the world was aware and educated about SARS. Toronto’s Public health system took severe measure in controlling the spread of SARS. They investigated and kept track of all the potential cases of SARS that were reported by clinicians and identified and quarantined anyone who had contact with the patients. Close contacts were people who took care of, lived with or had any face-to-face contact with a person infected with SARS. The close contacts were ordered to stay at home and follow 10 days of quarantine. The rules of being in quarantine required them to sleep separately from others, keep personal items such as towels and utensils to themselves and wearing a mask when around other people. In addition, Toronto’s public health system required hospitals to ban all unnecessary staff members and visitors to prevent the spread of SARS. In order to provide the best health care, it was required to screen all patients, staff and visitors before entering a hospital. …show more content…
Laboratory diagnosis of the severe acute respiratory syndrome aims at preventing a reoccurrence of SARS in 2002-2003. The complete genomic sequence of SARS has allowed for the development of some diagnostic tests. However, there is still a problem present in early diagnosis of SARS in non-research laboratories with minimum experience in molecular testing. During the 2003 SARS epidemic a study was conducted and the results show that there is a 99.9% N protein that can be efficient as an early diagnostic marker for SARS. In order to prevent future outbreaks, tests similar to these should be available at hospitals. Another step that is necessary to prevent reoccurrence is the development of a vaccine. Prior experience in dealing with infectious disease control leads to advocate that a vaccination will be the most effective way to prevent a future