Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory illness caused by a coronavirus, called SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV). SARS was first reported in Asia in February 2003. Over the next few months, the illness spread to more than two dozen countries in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia before the SARS global outbreak of 2003 was contained. This fact sheet gives basic information about the illness and what CDC has done to control SARS in the United States. To find out more about SARS, go to CDC's SARS Web site and WHO's SARS Web site.

General Information

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) - Information for Health Care Providers
CDC Fact Sheet
CDC Frequently Asked Questions

Information for Specific Groups & Settings

CDC Patients and Their Close Contacts
CDC Schools
CDC Travelers
CDC Workplace

Information in Other Languages

Other Links

CDC SARS Web site
CDC SARS Surveillance and Reporting

• In the Absence of SARS-CoV Transmission Worldwide:Guidance for Surveillance, Clinical and Laboratory Evaluation, and Reporting Version 2
• Algorithm for evaluation and management of patients requiring hospitalization for radiographically confirmed pneumonia, in the absence of person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV in the world
• Infection Control in Healthcare Facilities
• Guidelines for Collecting Specimens from Potential SARS Patients
• Infection Control for Laboratory and Pathology Procedures
• Laboratory Biosafety Guidelines for Handling and Processing Specimens Associated with SARS-CoV
• Packing Diagnostic Specimens for Transport: Summary Instructions
• Guidelines for Clinicians: The Consent Process for SARS-CoV RT-PCR and EIA Testing at CDC and Public Health Laboratories
• Fact Sheet for Clinicians: Interpreting SARS-CoV Test Results from CDC and Other Public Health Laboratories 

WHO SARS Web site