About This Site
January 2004
Dear VA clinicians, employees, and veterans,
VA is concerned about the possible re-emergence
of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS. Last
year, SARS affected thousands of people around the
world, disrupted health care, and caused economic
harm.
SARS is a serious illness characterized by fever
and respiratory symptoms that may progress to a
fatal form of pneumonia. The cause is a coronavirus.
Droplets containing the SARS virus are released when
infected people cough or speak and spread SARS from
person to person. The SARS virus may survive for
hours on inanimate objects, such as hospital
equipment and surfaces. Touching contaminated
surfaces and transferring the virus to the eyes,
nose, or mouth may be another route of transmission.
Because of the international public health
measures instituted, SARS was contained by the
middle of last summer. However, there is a
possibility that it could come back this winter like
other seasonal cold and flu viruses. VA wants all of
its health care providers, other employees,
patients, and their families to be vigilant for
potential cases and aware of the latest information
on epidemiology, case finding, diagnosis,
management, and infection control practices for SARS.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
maintains the most comprehensive web site on SARS
(http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/). We urge you to
review this web site frequently for the latest case
definition, isolation and infection control
practices, epidemiology, reporting, and other new
information.
This VA SARS web site will be regularly updated
with the most current information useful for keeping
VA informed and prepared. The site will also serve
as a repository of information circulated to the VA
system.
VA Office of Public Health and Environmental
Hazards
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