Volume 10, Number 2—February 2004
THEME ISSUE
2004 SARS Edition
SARS Epidemiology
SARS Surveillance during Emergency Public Health Response, United States, March–July 2003
Table 1
Initial SARS case definition,a U.S. surveillance, March 17, 2003
Clinical criteria |
---|
Respiratory illness of unknown etiology with onset since February 1, 2003, including:
Temperature >38°C
Findings of respiratory illnessb |
Epidemiologic link criteria |
Travel within 10 days of symptom onset to area with documented or suspected community transmission of SARSc OR Close contactd within 10 days of symptom onset with either a person with respiratory illness who had traveled to SARS area or a person suspected to have SARS |
aSARS, severe acute respiratory syndrome.
bFor example, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, hypoxia, or radiographic findings of either pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome; suspect cases with either radiographic evidence of pneumonia or respiratory distress syndrome or evidence of unexplained respiratory distress syndrome by autopsy are designated “probable” cases by the WHO case definition.
cHong Kong Special Administrative Region and Guangdong province, Peoples’ Republic of China; Hanoi, Vietnam; and Singapore.
dHaving cared for, having lived with, or having had direct contact with respiratory secretions or body fluids of patient suspected to have SARS.