What made it so excited was its spread, which mostly infected health people, nearly 60 percent infected doctors and nurses, who in fact were people who were at least a relatively well-preserved group. In fact, one new fact reveals that the doctor who discovered SARS had died from this disease.
What is SARS?
SARS itself stands for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which is a life-threatening respiratory infection, the trigger itself is a coronavirus related to SARS. This disease was first discovered in China in 2002, which then spread so rapidly to Hong Kong and began to spread to various parts of the world, affecting people in more than 20 countries.
It was recorded that until 2003 the spread of this disease had infected 8069 people and 775 of them died. Experts believe SARS was first developed in animals. This is based on their findings of the same virus that is found in civets. In China, this civet is consumed as food when things are pressed. Meanwhile in Indonesia, up to June 16, 2003, 7 suspect cases and 2 probable SARS cases were found out of a total of 112 patients seeking treatment for fear of suffering from SARS.
Spread of SARS
SARS is very contagious and spreads from person to person quickly, because it can spread through respiratory droplets or through direct contact with infected patients. Airborne transmission, such as for example the spread of air, ventilation, being in the same vehicle or building. Until now, the time of transmission from one individual to another is not clearly known. For a while, the transmission is from when there is a fever or signs of respiratory problems until the illness is said to be cured.
So what is the cause of this SARS?
Scientists increasingly believe that this virus from the corona race is the cause of SARS. Scientists from Hong Kong claimed that they had succeeded in pinpointing the corona virus after identifying a small part of DNA samples from patients who contracted SARS. In addition, studies that have been proven by other scientists are that SARS is caused by the corona virus and paramoxviridae.
In fact, these two types of viruses have been around for a long time, it’s just that the symptoms are not as severe and severe as they are today. Coronavirus is known as the virus that causes cold, flu, diarrhea and pneumonia, while the paramoxyviridae virus is the virus that causes parainfluenza. The temporary conclusion reached by scientists reveals that the virus that causes SARS is the presence of a new virus as a result of a mutation of the coronavirus.
The factors that trigger the ferocity of the mutation of this virus are due to the environment that has begun to deteriorate due to human activity and the increasing human population. Just as humans will try to do everything they can to survive, so also happens with this virus which tries to adapt to survive even by attacking humans.
Similar to other viruses, this coronavirus spreads through the air and enters through the respiratory tract and then lodges in the lungs. If its presence is not realized, within about two to ten days it will make the lungs become inflamed, and breathing becomes increasingly difficult. Apart from airborne, rapid transmission is direct transmission, contact with a SARS-infected patient such as chatting or sneezing will be easier to spread because saliva when the patient talks or sneezes will immediately enter your body and spread your body. For that, it is better to maintain contact or distance from patients suffering from SARS so that you do not catch it.
SARS Disease Symptoms
Symptoms of SARS that may occur are usually fever with a body temperature of more than 38 degrees Celsius accompanied by shortness of breath, dry cough, shortness of breath, muscle aches, loss of appetite, aching head, diarrhea and a persistent feeling restless. If this disease has occurred, people can be called suspect SARS. However, if this disorder occurs after suffering from respiratory problems, the person can be called probable SARS or can be suspected of having SARS.
So, when the body temperature is above 38 degrees Celsius and had direct contact with a SARS patient, then was automatically convicted of SARS? Not always. This has just been classified as suspect SARS. To conclude that someone is positive for SARS, a medical checkup is required by a doctor, after which it can be decided whether the person has SARS or not.
There are several symptoms of SARS that can be read medically, such as pneumonia, blood platelets that continue to decrease after making contact with SARS sufferers and lymphocytes that also decrease, besides that if the oxygen in the blood is heavy, it will decrease and liver enzymes will increase. Although some of these symptoms are suspected of being SARS symptoms, all of these symptoms can change over time, and research into these symptoms is still ongoing today. For that you cannot guess and then convict yourself or other people who experience this symptom are said to be positive for SARS.
SARS Disease Prevention
The best way to prevent a disease is to avoid the possibility and source of the disease itself. Likewise with preventive measures for SARS disease. Avoid places or areas where SARS cases have occurred, such as areas carrying the SARS disease outbreak or places where SARS-infected victims have been found. In addition, avoid intensive contact with people who have and are infected with SARS for any reason because direct contact is one of the most common spreads found in sufferers of this disease.
Viruses have a role that is beneficial and detrimental to human life. Viruses that play a beneficial role, among others, can be used as an antitoxin to weaken bacteria and for vaccine reproduction. Meanwhile, harmful viruses will certainly cause disease for humans and other living things.
We do not know whether the viruses circulating in the environment are beneficial or harmful. But even so, the most important thing to prevent the spread of viral diseases is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This lifestyle can be started by doing small things such as getting used to washing hands before and after activities, especially after touching objects. Another prevention, you can start wearing a mask to prevent the spread of the SARS virus which pollutes the air.
SARS Disease Treatment
Currently the use of drugs recommended by medics who treat SARS is administering antibiotics which can be used to treat serious atypical pneumonia for SARS sufferers. However, if the administration of this drug does not produce a response after days, the patient should be given a combination of drugs such as oseltamivir or ribavirin along with steroids at once, but of course this prescription must be based on a doctor’s recommendation so that the dose is adjusted to the patient’s condition.
That’s what it is about SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and its prevention programs. Until now scientists have gone beyond the stages of discovering the SARS virus so they can concentrate on finding ways to fully diagnose, prevent and treat this outbreak so that doctors can confirm which patients are infected with this deadly virus. Although there is no definite drug or antidote that can fight this virus, to reduce the number of infected patients it is better if we start to maintain health and start living a healthy lifestyle.
