As TLID goes to press, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) remains a moving target. WHO has lifted the controversial advisory against travel to Toronto, but advisories for Beijing, Hong Kong, and several provinces in China remain in effect (http://www.who.int/csr/sars/travel/en). The SARS virus genome has been published (http://www.sciencemag.org/feature/data/sars), spurring a race to claim the gene patent(http://www.kron4.com/Global/story.asp?S=1264276). And WHO has set up a global scientific meeting on SARS (Geneva; June 17–18), promising that a report will soon be posted on its website (http://www.who.int/csr/sars/meeting2003_15_04/en). From the outset of the epidemic, the web has been facilitating global scientific collaboration, rapid information sharing about clinical symptoms and potential causes, and education for the general public on country-specific websites. The following sites provide in-depth materials and continuously updated news about SARS.
Armed Forces Institute of Pathology: SARS
http://www.afip.org/Departments/Pulmonary/SARS
This site (figure, this page) presents radiological and pathological (nec-ropsy) images with the aim of enhancing understanding, recognition, and treatment of SARS cases. The site is a collaborative effort of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology and American Registry of Pathology (Washington, DC, USA), Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Centre for Forensic Medicine (Health Sciences Authority, Singapore), and the National Taiwan University Hospital (Taipei, Taiwan). Collaborators from other institutions are welcome.
BBC News: SARS update
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2969247.stm
Here is a good, ongoing roundup of news about SARS and a succinct Q&A for the general public. Of interest are journalists' perspectives on coverage of the illness (eg, see “SARS circus” at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2991187.stm). The timeline is useful, but needs updating.
Canadian Medical Association Journal: SARS
http://www.cmaj.ca/misc/sars.shtml
As its website indicates, the CMAJ is tracking ongoing developments in SARS for both clinicians and patients. The site is comprehensive and up-to-date, and includes full-text, early releases of relevant articles from the journal (PDF; scroll down to “latest releases”). Readers can sign up to receive email when SARS content is updated.
Health Canada Online: SARS
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/protection/warnings/sars/index.html
This site aims to keep the public informed about SARS developments as they relate to Canadians. Click on the latest “update” for information on active cases, travel advisories, and government activities to investigate and control the spread of the virus.
Hong Kong Department of Health: Atypical Pneumonia
http://www.info.gov.hk/dh/ap.htm
SARS by any other name—in this case, “atypical pneumonia”—remains a major problem in Hong Kong. The site provides ongoing information about affected buildings, specific advice for the public on wearing masks and taking appropriate hygienic measures, as well as information for travelers and visitors, plus downloadable public education posters and public service announcements. The information for medical professionals needs updating.
Medscape Global Alert: SARS
http://www.medscape.com/pages/editorial/public/toc-sars
Medscape has prepared a useful page of links to SARS news, relevant journal articles, and a clickable map that provides a breakdown of cases worldwide.
Morbidity & Mortality Weekly: SARS updates
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/mguide_sars.html
The MMWR has arranged this page of summaries on the outbreak, with hotlinks to references and SARS-related articles elsewhere on the US CDC site.
Project Shield
https://register.scmp.com/projectshield.php
The South China Morning Post raised more than $15 million through Project Shield, a fundraising effort that included an online component. Although fundraising was suspended on May 6 because of the strong response, the newspaper promises to provide a full accounting of the monies received (which largely went towards masks and other equipment to protect health care workers) and continues to collect donations for ongoing purchases.
SARS Outbreak Map
http://www.corda.com/examples/go/map/sars.cfm
The technology company Corda offers this easy-to-navigate interactive map of the current status of SARS outbreaks using data derived from WHO. Moving the mouse over each country reveals the number of cases. Users can “drill down” (click) for state-by-state cases in the USA.
Singapore Ministry of Health: SARS
This robust site communicates the urgency and immediacy of SARS outbreak in an affected country. The health information and advisories page (http://app.moh.gov.sg/sar/sar07.asp) is especially strong, and features advisories (PDF) for travelers, work places, commercial buildings, hotels and serviced apartment buildings, and airport and flight crews. Downloadable print advertisements (figure, this page) in Chinese, Malay, and English are also provided. Also of interest is the extensive frequently asked questions page and “Facts on SARS”, which offers a clickable chart of symptoms.
SoSick.org
The SoSick site was created by concerned citizens in Hong Kong who worried that information on SARS was not reaching people quickly enough. The site's forum is quite active and provides candid insights into SARS and its effects.
Taiwan Center for Disease Control
Highlights here include information on quarantine measures and chronological updates.
Toronto Public Health: SARS
http://www.city.toronto.on.ca/health/sars/index.htm
Among the most controversial stories related to SARS was the short-lived travel ban to Toronto. The Toronto Public Health site continues to provide updates, including information on the public health emergency declared by the province of Ontario. Downloadable SARS fact sheets (PDF) for the general public are available in English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Tamil, and Vietnamese.
UK Department of Health: SARS
Click on “urgent communication from the chief medical officer” to access the latest information for clinicians in the UK; on the communication page, scroll down to access links to SARS guidance documents for health professionals.
University of Hong Kong: radiological images of recent cases
http://www.droid.cuhk.edu.hk/web/atypical_pneumonia/atypical_pneumonia.htm
Physicians at the radiology department of the University of Hong Kong set up this web page, which offers radiological images from patients with SARS in various stages of the disease. The page is continually updated with images from cases around the world. An imaging algorithm is included at the bottom.
UK Public Health Laboratory Service: SARS
http://www.phls.co.uk/topics_az/SARS/menu.htm
This page is a portal to detailed information on SARS for health professionals and for the general public. Highlights on the health professional site include guidance for hospitals and primary care, and case definition and follow-up procedures.
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: SARS
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars
A premier information site on SARS. Recent additions include advice for patients and their close contacts, a webcast for increasing clinician preparedness for SARS, and comprehensive versions of the site in numerous languages.
WHO SARS site
http://www.who.int/csr/sars/en
Another premier information site on SARS. Recent scientific additions include first data on the stability and resistance of the SARS coronavirus compiled by members of WHO laboratory network and reports on SARS virus survival in different environmental media. WHO also maintains ongoing surveillance and issues regular updates and guidelines for international travelers and health and laboratory professionals.