3rd edn. could be contained within months. Until July 2003, it had caused 8096 cases, with 774 deaths. Once adequate measures such as isolating patients and quarantining their contacts were strictly adhered to, further transmission between human beings could be interrupted. SARS is an example of how rapidly an infectious agent can spread in the modern world. At the same time, it should serve as a showcase of how international cooperation and modern science can help to combat the spread of infectious diseases. 29: 13C22. It was shown that SARS patients seroconverted against this virus in the course of their illness; healthy, unexposed control individuals lacked antibody reactivity. However, it Regorafenib monohydrate remained to be proven that this novel coronavirus was indeed the etiological agent for SARS rather than an innocent bystander newly discovered by thorough studies. After experimental infection of macaques with the newly isolated agent was shown to cause a SARS-like illness, and subsequent reisolation of the agent, all of Koch’s postulates had been fulfilled. On 16 April 2003, WHO officially announced that the provisionally termed SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) was the causative agent of SARS. Based on this breakthrough, tests for the detection of viral Regorafenib monohydrate sequences and specific antibodies were quickly developed and made available to affected countries. In addition, numerous scientists embarked on programmes to develop vaccines and drugs or antibodies for prophylactic or therapeutic use. Controlling the Outbreak Within a few months, the SARS outbreak was brought under control. On 5 July 2003, WHO declared that the last chain of person-to-person transmission had been interrupted. Measures including source isolation of patients C who only became infectious after onset of clinical symptoms C strict infection control in health care facilities, timely identification and quarantining of exposed contacts, and perhaps also measures to increase social distance, such as travel warnings and screening of travelers, had led to this remarkable and remarkably rapid success. Thorough and Regorafenib monohydrate consistent implementation of these measures eventually brought an end to the SARS outbreak even in the worst affected areas. In the meantime, however, several areas C different Chinese provinces other than Guangdong, most prominently the capital, Beijing, but also Toronto in Canada, and Taiwan C paid a high price for not implementing adequate countermeasures in a timely fashion. Typically, a so-called superspreader, that is, a highly contagious SARS patient, would seek treatment at a poorly prepared facility, and by the time the danger was realized, scores of staff and patients had become infected and themselves become sources of spread. Interestingly, despite the rapid identification of the agent and laboratory tests becoming available almost immediately, these formidable achievements did not contribute much to the containment of the outbreak. Instead, it was the prudent and thorough use of old-fashioned measures such as isolation and quarantine that proved to be the key to success. Identification of suspected cases was based on clinical and epidemiological criteria: high fever ( 38C) plus symptoms of respiratory tract infection plus an exposure history, the details of which depended on each location’s Rabbit Polyclonal to EHHADH SARS status at the time. An additional positive SARS-CoV test result or radiological or pathological evidence of pneumonia or respiratory distress syndrome would make it a probable case. Regorafenib monohydrate The final case count from 1 November 2002 until 31 July 2003 is 8096, with 774 deaths. Since mid-2003, SARS has reappeared on four occasions. Three involved laboratory-acquired infections, which demonstrates the dangers of breaching biosafety procedures and the risks of subsequent further spread in the community by secondary transmission outside of the laboratory. The fourth SARS outbreak was due to reintroduction from the reservoir. To minimize the risk of reemergence, WHO has issued guidelines for the surveillance of possible SARS cases. Risk categories to guide adequate national surveillance strategies.