Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS): Public Health Situation and U.S. Response

Publication Date: May 2003

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s): Judith A. Johnson

Research Area: Health

Keywords: outbreak

Type: Report

Abstract:

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is a new influenza-like disease; the overall case fatality rate is currently estimated to be about 15%. Scientists have isolated a previously unknown type of coronavirus which they believe is the cause of the disease. The genetic material of the SARS virus has been sequenced and this may be helpful in determining the origin of the virus and understanding its behavior as well as developing a treatment and a vaccine. Currently, all tests for SARS infection are considered experimental. The World Health Organization (WHO) and others are working to develop a reliable diagnostic test which can be used to confirm a clinical diagnosis of SARS.

Federal, state and local public health agencies share responsibility for a range of different activities that are important in effectively reacting to and ultimately overcoming a disease outbreak such as SARS. In investigating the SARS outbreak, the most important activities are case detection, patient isolation and contact tracing using disease surveillance systems as well as epidemiology and laboratory services. Other important public health measures include the development and coordination of emergency medical response plans, the regulation of environmental conditions that impact health, and the rapid and clear communication of information between all levels of the public health agencies, healthcare personnel, the media and the public.

The states have primary responsibility for protecting the health and welfare of their citizens. The federal government, through the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), is responsible for preventing the introduction and spread of communicable diseases from foreign countries into the United States at international ports or from one state into another. HHS is also responsible for overall health policy making and public health protection. Among the federal agencies within HHS, those primarily involved in the U.S. response to the SARS outbreak are the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The U.S. public health system has received dramatic funding increases over the past 2 years to strengthen the public health infrastructure and enhance its capacity to respond to emergencies such as a bioterrorist attack or outbreak of infectious disease. Consequently, many analysts will be evaluating the U.S. reaction to the SARS epidemic to identify any gaps in the public health system response and address them accordingly, in order to be better prepared for any future event involving bioterrorism or emerging infectious disease.