Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

 SARS was a viral epidemic that struck in 2003 and was considered a threat globally (Medicine et al., 2004). It was first identified in Guangdong province in China in 2002 and thought to have originated from the bats from where it spread to other animals, the civet cats. In China, there were over 5,300 people infected and reported 349 deaths. The epidemic spread to 30 different countries in North and South America, Europe, and Asia, with the numbers shooting to over 8000 by 2003 before the outbreak was contained. The transmission was from person to person and mostly spread on and around the health centers due to inadequate prevention measures to curb the spread. Other countries that were affected by SARS included Canada, Singapore, and Viet Nam. Among the symptoms including fever, malaise, myalgia, headache, diarrhea as well as rigors. Ethical issues such as international cooperation in times of a crisis, transparency in sharing of information, quarantining of both the affected as well as health practitioners’ response in times of the epidemic.

The health system in China initially moved with swift speed to respond to the emergence of the virus. A team of health experts had been sent to Heyuan, a city southwest of Guangzhou in Guangdong, where the virus was thought to have been first reported. The reaction by the Chinese government, however, was adversely affected due to challenges in the sharing of information owing to the politics of hierarchy within the Chinese government (Wong & Zheng, 2004). The information about the new viral infection was kept from the public, putting them in grave danger. The response by the health workers was also delayed by the fact that many of the health care providers were on with their holidays.

The US had 418 reported cases of SARS, and 74 of the cases were classified as probable SARS infections. Thus, the federal government was prompted to put in place plans with respect to the tragedy in case it ever re-occurred. The Department of Health and Human Services is mandated with preparing, planning, and responding to any future SARS outbreak. The CONPlan (Concept of Operations Plan), an interagency team formed to highlight any geographic risk levels in the US and to propose measures to curb any future outbreak of SARS (Medicine et al., 2004). To rapidly and decisively act in case of the SARS outbreak, the involvement of local, state, and federal authorities needed to be coordinated efficiently. The state and local authorities provide the primary line of response in case of an outbreak. The two levels of administration have a responsibility to identify the vulnerabilities, share information, and if the need arises, impose quarantine at an individual or community level.

The SARS epidemic began to rapidly spread in November 2002, leading to the intervention of the World Health Organization (WHO). The organization declared that viral infection outbursts a global threat. Communication barriers from the Chinese government affected cooperation with the WHO. The obstruction to the flow of information hindered cooperation during the epidemic. The Chinese government had a social responsibility to the people of China to disclose information about the epidemic soon as it was reported. Lack of transparency by the Chinese government not only endangered the Chinese but also allowed the disease to spread to a global level causing untold economic and health crises globally. The pressure of the disease spreading to other countries prompted the WHO to act in disseminating information to the governments of the world.

Infectious diseases have been known to cause havoc among the public. Fear and stigma become prevalent in any society in the case of a pandemic. After the outbreak of SARS, the US citizens of Asian origin were highly discriminated against. Also, due to the stigma associated with SARS, many of the affected persons were afraid of seeking treatments.

References

Medicine, I. O., Board on Global Health, & Threats, F. O. (2004). Learning from SARS: Preparing for the Next Disease Outbreak: Workshop Summary. National Academies Press.

Wong, J., & Zheng, Y. (2004). The SARS Epidemic: Challenges to China’s Crisis Management. World Scientific.