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Special
Reports
SARS
Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome
SARS in an acronym for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. It is a
disease that is believed to have originated in Southeast Asia, possibly
China.
As of
04/29/02 there have been 5050 reported cases worldwide and 321 deaths
attributed to the disease. Since its inception, SARS has spread to every
continent in the world and numerous countries including the United
States.
SARS is especially relevant to law enforcement since we have such
frequent contact with the public, and we are among the first responders
to first-aid calls.
SARS is highly contagious. It is spread through droplets. Avoiding SARS
is all about avoiding droplets.
A recent piece by
CBSNEWS.com illustrates how contagious this disease can be. “Try
these, and see how many you would qualify for: Shaking hands with
friends at work. Touching an elevator button. Touching a doorknob.
Holding on to the railing when riding an escalator. Pushing open a shop
door at the shopping mall. Just going to a shopping mall. Being around
someone with the sniffles who happens to sneeze. Visiting a doctor or,
worse, going to the hospital. Using your hands to rub your eyes (the
virus works it way into your body through your tear ducts.) Giving a
hug. Attending a business meeting in a crowded room when you are less
than three feet away from the person next to you.”
Symptoms
The World Health Organization has publicized the most common symptoms
for SARS. According to WHO, “The illness usually begins with a fever
(measured temperature greater than 100.4°F [>38.0°C]). The fever is
sometimes associated with chills or other symptoms, including headache,
general feeling of discomfort, and body aches. Some people also
experience mild respiratory symptoms at the outset. After 2 to 7 days,
SARS patients may develop a dry, nonproductive cough that might be
accompanied by or progress to the point where insufficient oxygen is
getting to the blood. In 10% to 20% of cases, patients will require
mechanical ventilation. Shortness of breath or difficulty
breathing may also be symptoms.
Temperature
exceeding 100.4°F
Sometimes
Chills, headache, discomfort, and body aches
In
some cases, mild respiratory symptoms
After
2-7 days, a non-productive cough, a shortness of breath or difficulty
breathing
As you can see, these symptoms mirror those of many other ailments.
Jumping to a diagnosis of SARS will be unproductive, however, a safe
course of action would be to treat anyone with these symptoms as a
potential SARS case.
Transmission
As said earlier, SARS is a highly contagious disease. While SARS can be
transmitted from contaminated objects like telephones and doorknobs, the
primary manner in which it is being spread is through airborne droplets.
For example, when someone infected with SARS sneezes or coughs, they
send tiny droplets into the air. If these droplets are inhaled by the
disease may be transmitted.
Avoidance
When dealing with a suspected case of SARS there are certain steps you
can take to reduce your risk of becoming infected.
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Upon
suspecting that the patient may have SARS, if possible, remove them
from their residence or location found preferably to the outdoors.
This should reduce your risk of exposure from a contaminated room
and patient to just the patient.
-
The
suspected carrier should be asked to wear a surgical mask. The
care-giver should also wear a mask. However, masks only reduce risk.
While they may stop large droplets, they will not stop fine, aerosol
droplets which can sneak in through unsealed portions of the mask.
Also, be careful removing and disposing of the mask as droplets may
have settled on it. Medical personnel handling SARS cases are now
wearing the more sophisticated masks with filters and respirators.
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The
care-giver should wear disposable gloves. When wearing the gloves,
be very careful not to handle your equipment like your first aid
kit, your pen, or smart pad after touching the patient until you
have removed and properly disposed of the gloves and thoroughly
washed your hands.
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After
removing the gloves, do not touch any object that may have come in
contact with the patient.
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If
there is no immediate medical assistance needed, remove yourself
from the room and the residence if possible. Also, be sure to alert
responding EMS workers of the risk.
Thorough hand washing must be done after dealing with the patient.
Treatment
As of now, there is no cure for SARS. In fact, there is no
definitive test to diagnose a patient with SARS. Survival seems to
favor those who seek medical treatment in the early stages.
SARS has infected first responders and hordes of medical personnel in
areas where it nears epidemic proportion. Precautions must be
taken to protect yourself. New York has had about twenty suspected
cases so far, and at least one has been been reported in New
Jersey. Hopefully, it will be contained before we experience what
Southeast Asia and Toronto have gone through, but, for now, take
precautions.
For more information, visit the Center for
Disease Control or the World Health
Organization websites.
All
emergency personnel are bound by their own training, rules, and
regulations. NJLawman.com is not a Government entity, and not a
medical website. This article was strictly designed to be
informative. Persons should seek permission and advice from their own
organizations before changing any course of treatment for medical
assistance calls.
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