How is SARS transmitted?
The disease is caused by a virus that is transmitted via the saliva droplets of an infected individual. Evidence suggest that, to contract the disease, a person has to have been in close contact with someone who has symptoms, including a fever and cough. Close contact means being in the same room as the infected individual, within about one metre, and therefore close enough to be in contact with saliva droplets that may be expelled during coughing, for example.
A4. The disease appears to be spread from person to person through droplet transmission when in close contact with a person with SARS. For example, when someone sick with SARS coughs or sneezes, they disperse droplets into the air and someone else breathes them in. It is possible that SARS can be transmitted more broadly through the air or from objects that have become contaminated. Coronaviruses can survive in the environment for as long as three hours. Close contact in this case is defined as having cared for, having lived with or having had direct contact with respiratory secretions and body fluids of a person with SARS. Q5. What are the symptoms of SARS? A5. Main symptoms and signs include high fever (>100.4°F/38°C), dry cough, muscle aches, shortness of breath or breathing difficulties. SARS may be associated with other symptoms, including headache, muscular stiffness, loss of appetite or tiredness (malaise). Q6. What is the incubation period (i.e., time from infection to onset of
