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The SARS Epidemic Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory sickness caused by a coronavirus called SARS-CoV. Researchers believe it originated from the Guangdong province in southern China. SARS was first reported in Asia on February 2003 by a man from Hanoi. He developed numerous breathing problems which led to him being dependent on ventilator support. Within a few months the virus had spread to over two dozen countries in North America, South American, Europe, and Asia. SARS is a disease that affects the respiratory tract which enables you to breathe. The symptoms you get from SARS are very similar to the flu. You experience high fever, headaches, weakness, dry coughs, and breathing difficulties. Similar to catching a cold, SARS is spread through saliva caused by coughing or sneezing. The way that a person catches SARS is by close contact with an infected person. An infected person can infect people with a three foot radius by coughing or sneezing. The droplets from the cough or sneeze are propelled through the air and deposited on the mucus membranes of the mouth, nose, or eyes of the people nearby (CDC). SARS also can be spread by someone touching a surface that is contaminated with the virus and then touching their mouth, eyes, or nose (CDC). According to CDC, specific details of close contact that can result in catching SARS are as follows: having cared for or lived with someone with SARS.
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