Health Advisory for Schools, Colleges and Universities on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome SARS

1
Health Advisory for Schools, Colleges and
Universities on Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome (SARS)

• Department of Health
• June 9, 2003

2
What is SARS?

• SARS is a new illness caused by a new virus
  called the SARS virus.
• It affects the lungs and can cause severe
  pneumonia

3
SARS is an acronym that means

• Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
• Severe - can cause progressive disease
• Acute - sudden, can affect previously
• healthy individuals
• Respiratory - affects the respiratory system
• Syndrome the group of symptoms

4
What is the clinical picture of SARS? How is SARS
diagnosed?

• SARS usually starts as high grade fever (higher
  than 38oC), flu-like symptoms of body ache,
  chills
• After about 27 days, SARS patients develop
  severe cough (not much phlegm), shortness of
  breath or difficulty of breathing
• SARS is diagnosed through its symptoms and chest
  x-ray that shows pneumonia

5
Where did SARS come from? How did it start?

• The first SARS patients were detected in
  Guangdong Province, China, among the handlers of
  wild animals
• A very similar virus was recently detected among
  endangered wild cats in same area virus is
  suspected to have jumped species started to
  infect humans
• This happened also in the bird flu in Hong
  Kong controlled by killing all the chickens

6
How does SARS spread?

• SARS spreads through persons with severe SARS
• SARS patients with pneumonia propel viruses
  through droplets of saliva and mucous during
  coughing or sneezing persons close to the
  patient (within 1 meter) can inhale the viruses
• SARS can also spread through contact with mucous
  or body secretions of SARS patients. When a well
  person touches these infected fluids then touches
  own nose, mouth or eyes, the virus is also
  transferred

7
How contagious is SARS?

• SARS is very contagious during the stage when
  the SARS patient has pneumonia

8
When is a SARS patient contagious?

• A person who is still incubating the SARS virus
  (no symptoms yet for about 2-7 days) is not yet
  contagious
• When the person with SARS starts to have fever,
  he/she is still only minimally contagious
  (usually for about another 2 days)
• When the person with SARS develops severe cough
  and pneumonia, he/she is highly contagious

9
Where are the SARS patients?

• Only 12 SARS patients have been reported from
  the Philippines so far
• Five (5) of them really got infected in another
  country
• The other 7 got infected from one of these 5
• Two have died, the rest have recovered
• Therefore, there are really no SARS patients yet
  in the general population in our communities
  because cases were quickly identified and
  isolated

10
How can the public know who has SARS?

• Since there are no unidentified SARS cases
  spreading the disease in our communities, the
  public do not have to fear there are SARS cases
  in the schools
• Countries with unidentified SARS in communities
  like Taiwan or China conduct fever clinics or
  house visits looking for cases we do not have to
  do that yet

11
How can the public avoid getting SARS?

• Avoid traveling to SARS affected countries/ areas
  like China, Taiwan, Toronto (Canada) if you
  travel there, do not visit the hospital or health
  care worker without due precautions (eg. mask)
• Follow good personal hygiene wash hands
  frequently, cover your nose and mouth when you
  cough or sneeze and when someone coughs or
  sneezes, do not spit anywhere, etc
• Follow DOH guidelines on quarantine, SARS
  screening, referral and isolation, as necessary

12
Is there a way to strengthen our body against
SARS?

• Yes, by being healthy and strong
• Eat a well-balanced diet, avoiding salty, too
  sweet and fatty foods but people can include
  virgin coconut oil in their diet
• Balance exercise with adequate rest and sleep
• Do not start/ immediately stop unhealthy habits
  like smoking and excessive drinking, among others

13
What should we do to prevent SARS in the schools?

• Even though there is no SARS yet in the
  schools, we should be alert in preventing SARS
  by
• Enforcing the 14-day quarantine on all students,
  faculty or school employees who came from SARS
  affected countries like China
• Monitoring and screening persons with fever

14
What is home quarantine? How is this done?

• Quarantine is the process of observing the signs
  and symptoms of people who may have been exposed
  to an illness, in this case, SARS
• Persons under observation are separated from
  unexposed persons for the duration of the
  incubation period of the disease being suspected
  (SARS has a maximum of 10 days incubation period,
  plus 4 days allowance)

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Monitoring persons with fever

• All students, faculty, or employees with fever
  should stay home this will also reduce the
  spread in the schools of all infections like flu
• All those who develop fever in the school should
  be brought immediately to the school clinic or
  health center for SARS screening (travel,
  contact, signs and symptoms) and proper referral,
  if needed

16
What should the school do to organize action
against SARS?

• School administrators should comply with DepEd
  Memos in organizing the Preventive Alert System
  in Schools (PASS) and orienting parents and
  teachers
• This includes planning and discussing standard
  procedures for monitoring fever, SARS screening
  and referral, and networking with local health
  and barangay units

17
What should the parents do to help the school
prevent SARS in the schools?

• Parents should monitor their childs temperature
  and keep them at home if they have fever
  children can only go back to school when they
  have been afebrile (no fever) for 2 days
• Parents should attend Parents Teachers meetings
  to learn and understand SARS
• Parents should teach their children proper
  personal hygiene like frequent hand washing and
  covering of the nose and mouth

18
What should the students do to prevent SARS?

• Students should learn the signs and symptoms of
  SARS and how this is spread
• Students should follow instructions on personal
  hygiene
• Students should monitor their own temperature,
  stay home until they no longer have fever for 2
  days, and follow procedures when they develop
  fever in school

19
Conclusion

• SARS is a highly contagious and deadly illness,
  but it can be prevented
• So far, we have prevented SARS from spreading in
  our local communities
• Everyone should cooperate in preventing the
  spread of SARS by understanding how it is
  transmitted, and by following guidelines on the
  early detection, quarantine/ observation,
  referral or isolation of suspected patients