SARS

Hope For A Vaccine

Dr David Cavanagh, who researches the coronavirus at the Institute of Animal Health in Compton, Berkshire, said that it was possible that this approach might yield a useful vaccine.

He said: "The vaccines that do the best job are generally live vaccines, with weakened viruses, because they grow in the right places, so the immune response is triggered in the right place.

"There is some Australian research showing that this approach, using a bird adenovirus in chickens found that between 90% and 100% of the birds resisted 'challenge' from infectious bronchitis virus, so that is encouraging, and suggests this could work.

"What we are waiting for now is to see if monkeys given this vaccine can resist a challenge from Sars." 

 

What Is SARS?

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a new viral respiratory illness first identified in humans in early 2003, after first appearing in southern China in November 2002.  SARS is a potentially life-threatening infection, with an average death rate of 11% for the most severely affected areas. SARS is also associated with a number of serious complications, such as pneumonia. However, one third of people infected with the SARS virus have only mild symptoms.  The primary cause is a virus previously unrecognized coronavirus called SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV).

Transmission of SARS

The virus is spread through close contact with an infected person. It can be passed either through the air or by touching a contaminated surface.

What Are the Symptoms?

Symptoms usually begin with a high fever, measured by a temperature greater than 100.4°F (38.0°C). Other early symptoms may include:

  • Headache
  • An overall feeling of discomfort
  • Body aches
  • Chills
  • Sore throat
  • Runny nose
  • Diarrhea.

After two to seven days, other symptoms may occur, including:

  • Dry cough
  • Shortness of breath
  • Low oxygen levels in the blood (hypoxia)
  • Pneumonia.

In 10 percent to 20 percent of cases, patients require breathing support with mechanical ventilation.

Treatment Options for SARS

Once a person has become infected, there is only one cure -- time. There is currently no treatment that can kill the virus. Therefore, treatment is focused on providing relief of symptoms and complications as the body fights the virus.  Most SARS cases require hospitalization for intensive supportive care. This supportive care can include:

  •  Intravenous (IV) fluids
  • Medications, including antibiotics, steroids, and/or antivirals
  • Breathing support from a ventilator

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