Essay - Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Thesis Sars Epidemic Created a Medical...

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

Thesis

SARS epidemic created a medical emergency and a healthcare crisis with the loss of hundreds of lives in a short sp*****n of time. The knowledge of the etiology of ***** disease and the genome sequence ***** the virus provided new impetus in treatment of the *****. The crisis was successfully managed through an international cooperative effort ********** today we are better prepared to handle possible future outbreaks of ***** epidemic.

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SARS is an acute infectious respiratory d*****ease ***** all the symptoms of atypical pneumonia like fever, breathlessness that caused severe casualties in a short period of time. ***** first *****stance of SARS infection ***** reported in November 2002 in the Guangdong province of china. The SARS epidemic ***** a panic worldover and the World Health Organization issued a glob*****l alert on March 12th 2003 about the rapid spread of symptoms of atypical pneumonia. Symptoms of ***** pneumonia were reported in China and Hong Kong in February and ***** of 2003 and SARS created panic at the global level with 774 deaths and more than 8000 infected people. China, Taipei, Canada and Hong Kong suffered the most from the epidemic while sporadic SARS infections were found in many European nations and North America. Hundreds of people exhibiting ***** ***** quarantined ***** treated for ***** complications until the ***** outbreak was fully contained. In July ***** ***** ********** announced the successful treatment of ***** last 12 cases of SARS. The present problem however is the early detection ***** the virus as the currently available diagnostic tools are ei*****r time consuming (ELISA and Immunofluorescence) or highly sensitive without any conclusive detection. (PCR). A discussion of the epidemiology, transmission, ***** the latest research results and ***** methods would provide a ***** underst*****nding of the disease.

***** S*****RS Virus

Ever since ***** ***** of the epidemic in ***** 2003 lab*****atories worldwide were ********** in research to hasten the identification of the agent ***** was responsible ***** ***** symptoms of atypical pneumonia. The ***** health organization instituted a combined ***** by eleven laboratories on March 17th to speedup the research, as by then, the virus was starting to take its *****ll. By the end ***** March *****ers in ***** Kong managed to find out traces of a novel coronavirus in the affected patients. ***** means ***** cell culture, electron microscopy and immuno-fluroscent antibody tests researchers in United States and Germany also confirmed the existence of a special type of coronavirus. Coronavirueses have the largest genome size rang*****g from 27 kb ***** 32 ***** and have been well known to cause respiratory disorders in animals. Coronoviruses are easily transmitted ***** way of droplets, touch and small particulates in the air. They also have very short incubation periods as is ***** case with the SARS virus which has an incubation period between 2 and 7 days. On April *****th 2003 scient*****ts working at the Michael Smith Genome Sciences center sucesfully mapped out the genetic sequence of the SARS ***** making way for