ABSTRACT
From late February through mid-March 2003, public health officials from several countries worldwide had identified a newly described atypical respiratory illness, which was termed severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). This was first recognized in Guandong Province in southeast China in late 2002 and subsequently spread globally during March and April 2003. This newly described infectious disease appears to be highly contagious by close contact and has been associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Within a matter of weeks after theWorld Health Organization (WHO) issued its global health alert on March 15, 2003, an unprecedented amount of information has become known about this disease. This has in part been due to a coordinated effort of several international organizations, but most notably the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
