Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)

CDC's quarantine inspectors or their designees are distributing health alert cards to air passengers returning in airplanes either directly or indirectly to the United States from China, Singapore, and Vietnam. The notices ask travelers to monitor their health for 10 days and to see a doctor if they get a fever with a cough or have difficulty breathing. Passengers who have a reasonable risk of SARS exposure are placed in quarantine and isolated until symptoms resolve.

In general, SARS starts with a fever higher than 100.4°F [>38.0°C]. Other symptoms may include headache, an overall feeling of discomfort, and body aches. Some people also feel short of breath. After 3 to 7 days, the person may get a dry cough and have trouble breathing. The principal way SARS seems to spread is through close contact by droplet transmission; namely, when someone coughs or sneezes droplets into the air and someone else breathes them in. SARS does not seem to spread easily by casual contact in large groups of people.

Additional information on SARS can be found at the Centers for Disease Control website:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/index.htm