How contagious is SARS?
SARS appears to be less infectious than, for example, influenza, and the incubation period is short, around 3-6 days. Based on currently available evidence, close contact with an infected person poses the highest risk of the infective agent spreading from one person to another. To date, the majority of cases have occurred in hospital workers who have cared for SARS patients and close family members and other close contacts of those patients. Only a few cases have been identified outside South East Asia and these cases were in people who had travelled from there. If they are symptom-free, staff, students and visitors arriving from SARS-affected areas are not considered to be a risk to others.
Based on currently available evidence, close contact with an infected person is needed for the infective agent to spread from one person to another. Contact with aerosolized (exhaled) droplets and bodily secretions from an infected person appears to be important. To date, the majority of cases have occurred in hospital workers who have cared for SARS patients and the close family members of these patients. However, the amount of the infective agent needed to cause an infection has not yet been determined.
Related Questions
- If I am denied airline boarding access because I am contagious, will the MEDEX program pay for any expenses I incur due to the extended stay and will they change my flight?
- What precautions should be adopted if a member of the household is a confirmed or suspected SARS patient?
- How contagious is SARS?
