Skip to main content
PMC home page
Springer Nature - PMC COVID-19 Collection logoLink to Springer Nature - PMC COVID-19 Collection
. 2003;5(6):473–476. doi: 10.1007/s11908-003-0089-4

Nosocomial transmission of SARS

Nelson Lee 1, Joseph JY Sung
PMCID: PMC7088952  PMID: 14642187

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome is a newly emerged infectious disease with moderately high transmissibility. Nosocomial outbreaks were responsible for the propagation of the epidemic worldwide. Health care workers (HCW) are at particular high risk because of their close contact with patients, involvement in medical procedures, and handling of excreta/fomites. Good hospital organization and appropriate infection control strategies are essential to prevent/interrupt disease transmission from patients to HCWs (and vice versa) and among inpatients and HCWs themselves. Education and training should target broadly to all HCWs.

Keywords: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, Personal Protective Equipment, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, Noninvasive Positive Pressure Ventila, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Patient

References and Recommended Reading

  • 1.World Health Organization: Severe acute respiratory syndrome. http://www.who.int/csr/sars/en/index.html. Accessed September 23, 2003.
  • 2.Drosten C, Gunther S, Preiser W, et al. Identification of a novel coronavirus in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome. N Engl J Med. 2003;348:1967–1976. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa030747. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 3.Drazen JM. SARS--looking back over the first 100 days. N Engl J Med. 2003;349:319–320. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp038118. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 4.Peiris J, Lai S, Poon L, et al. Coronavirus as a possible cause of severe acute respiratory syndrome. Lancet. 2003;361:1319–1325. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(03)13077-2. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 5.Rota PA, Oberste MS, Monroe SS, et al. Characterization of a novel coronavirus associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome. Science. 2003;300:1394–1399. doi: 10.1126/science.1085952. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 6.Lee N, Hui D, Wu A, et al. A major outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in Hong Kong. N Engl J Med. 2003;348:1986–1994. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa030685. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 7.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars. Accessed September 23, 2003.
  • 8.Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Department of Health: Outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Hong Kong. http://www.info.gov.hk/ info/ap/pdf/amoy_e.pdf. Accessed April 14, 2003.
  • 9.Riley S, Fraser C, Donnelly CA, et al. Transmission dynamics of the etiological agent of SARS in Hong Kong: impact of public health interventions. Science. 2003;300:1961–1966. doi: 10.1126/science.1086478. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 10.Seto WH, Tsang D, Yung R, et al. Effectiveness of precautions against droplets and contact in prevention of nosocomial transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) Lancet. 2003;361:1519–1520. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(03)13168-6. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 11.Peiris JS, Chu CM, Cheng VC, et al. Clinical progression and viral load in a community outbreak of coronavirus-associated SARS pneumonia: a prospective study. Lancet. 2003;361:1767–1772. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(03)13412-5. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 12.Li TS, Buckley TA, Yap FHY, et al. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS): infection control. Lancet. 2003;361:1386–1386. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(03)13052-8. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 13.Hsu LY, Lee CC, Green JA, et al. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Singapore: clinical features of index patient and initial contacts. Emerg Infect Dis. 2003;9:713–717. doi: 10.3201/eid0906.030264. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 14.Booth CM, Matukas LM, Tomlinson GA, et al. Clinical features and short-term outcomes of 144 patients with SARS in the greater Toronto area. JAMA. 2003;289:2801–2809. doi: 10.1001/jama.289.21.JOC30885. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 15.Severe acute respiratory syndrome—Singapore, 2003. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2003, 52:405–411. [PubMed]
  • 16.Cluster of severe acute respiratory syndrome cases among protected health care workers--Toronto, Canada, April 2003. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2003, 52:433–436. [PubMed]
  • 17.Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome--Taiwan, 2003. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2003, 52:461–466. [PubMed]
  • 18.Twu SJ, Chen TJ, Chen CJ. Control measures for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Taiwan. Emerg Infect Dis. 2003;9:718–720. doi: 10.3201/eid0906.030283. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 19.Wu W, Wang J, Liu P, et al. A hospital outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in GuangZhou, China. Chin Med J (Engl) 2003;116:811–818. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 20.Donnelly CA, Ghani AC, Leung GM, et al. Epidemiological determinants of spread of causal agent of severe acute respiratory syndrome in Hong Kong. Lancet. 2003;361:1761–1766. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(03)13410-1. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 21.Koh D, Lim MK, Chia SE. SARS: health care work can be hazardous to health. Occup Med. 2003;53:241–243. doi: 10.1093/occmed/kqg090. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 22.Ho A, Sung JJY, Chan-Yeung M. An outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) among hospital workers in a community hospital in Hong Kong. Ann Intern Med. 2003;139:564–567. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-139-7-200310070-00008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 23.Sampathkumar P, Temesgen Z, Smith TF, Thompson RL. SARS: epidemiology, clinical presentation, management, and infection control measures. Mayo Clin Proc. 2003;78:882–890. doi: 10.4065/78.7.882. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 24.Rainer TH, Cameron PA, Smith D, et al. Evaluation of WHO criteria for identifying patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome out of hospital: prospective observational study. BMJ. 2003;326:1354–1358. doi: 10.1136/bmj.326.7403.1354. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 25.Fisher DA, Lim TK, Lim YT, et al. Atypical presentations of SARS. Lancet. 2003;361:1740–1740. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(03)13336-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 26.Wong KC, Leung KS, Hui M. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in a geriatric patient with a hip fracture. J Bone Joint Surg. 2003;85-A:1339–1342. doi: 10.2106/00004623-200307000-00022. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 27.Wong KT, Antonio GE, Jui D, et al. Severe acute respiratory syndrome: radiographic appearances and pattern of progression in 138 patients. Radiology. 2003;228:401–406. doi: 10.1148/radiol.2282030593. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 28.Hon K, Li AM, Cheng F, et al. Personal view of SARS: confusing definition, confusing diagnoses. Lancet. 2003;361:1984–1985. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(03)13556-8. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 29.Fisher DA, Chew MH, Lim YT, Tambyah PA. Preventing local transmission of SARS: lessons from Singapore. Med J Aust. 2003;178:555–558. doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2003.tb05358.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Current Infectious Disease Reports are provided here courtesy of Nature Publishing Group

RESOURCES