Biomaterial Database

Lessons from the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak in Hong Kong. 2003

Abu S M Abdullah, and Brian Tomlinson, and Clive S Cockram, and G Neil Thomas

University of Hong Kong.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is now a global public health threat with many medical, ethical, social, economic, political, and legal implications. The nonspecific signs and symptoms of this disease, coupled with a relatively long incubation period and the initial absence of a reliable diagnostic test, limited the understanding of the magnitude of the outbreak. This paper outlines our experience with public health issues that have arisen during this outbreak of SARS in Hong Kong. We confirmed that case detection, reporting, clear and timely dissemination of information, and strict infection control measures are essential in handling such an infectious disease outbreak. The need for an outbreak response unit is crucial to combat any future outbreak.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D011634	Public Health	Branch of medicine concerned with the prevention and control of disease and disability, and the promotion of physical and mental health of the population on the international, national, state, or municipal level.	Community Health,Environment, Preventive Medicine & Public Health,Environment, Preventive Medicine and Public Health,Health, Community,Health, Public
D004196	Disease Outbreaks	Sudden increase in the incidence of a disease. The concept includes EPIDEMICS and PANDEMICS.	Outbreaks,Infectious Disease Outbreaks,Disease Outbreak,Disease Outbreak, Infectious,Disease Outbreaks, Infectious,Infectious Disease Outbreak,Outbreak, Disease,Outbreak, Infectious Disease,Outbreaks, Disease,Outbreaks, Infectious Disease
D006723	Hong Kong	The former British crown colony located off the southeast coast of China, comprised of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula, and New Territories. The three sites were ceded to the British by the Chinese respectively in 1841, 1860, and 1898. Hong Kong reverted to China in July 1997. The name represents the Cantonese pronunciation of the Chinese xianggang, fragrant port, from xiang, perfume and gang, port or harbor, with reference to its currents sweetened by fresh water from a river west of it.	Kowloon,New Territories,Hongkong
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D012307	Risk Factors	An aspect of personal behavior or lifestyle, environmental exposure, inborn or inherited characteristic, which, based on epidemiological evidence, is known to be associated with a health-related condition considered important to prevent.	Health Correlates,Risk Factor Scores,Risk Scores,Social Risk Factors,Population at Risk,Populations at Risk,Correlates, Health,Factor, Risk,Factor, Social Risk,Factors, Social Risk,Risk Factor,Risk Factor Score,Risk Factor, Social,Risk Factors, Social,Risk Score,Score, Risk,Score, Risk Factor,Social Risk Factor
D017053	Infection Control	Programs of disease surveillance, generally within health care facilities, designed to investigate, prevent, and control the spread of infections and their causative microorganisms.	Control, Infection
D045169	Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome	A viral disorder characterized by high FEVER, dry COUGH, shortness of breath (DYSPNEA) or breathing difficulties, and atypical PNEUMONIA. A virus in the genus CORONAVIRUS is the suspected agent.	Respiratory Syndrome, Severe Acute,Respiratory Syndrome, Acute, Severe,SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome)
D021821	Communicable Diseases, Emerging	Infectious diseases that are novel in their outbreak ranges (geographic and host) or transmission mode.	Infectious Diseases, Emerging,Communicable Diseases, Re-Emerging,Communicable Diseases, Reemerging,Infectious Diseases, Re-Emerging,Infectious Diseases, Reemerging,Communicable Disease, Emerging,Communicable Disease, Re-Emerging,Communicable Disease, Reemerging,Communicable Diseases, Re Emerging,Disease, Emerging Communicable,Disease, Emerging Infectious,Disease, Re-Emerging Communicable,Disease, Re-Emerging Infectious,Disease, Reemerging Communicable,Disease, Reemerging Infectious,Diseases, Emerging Communicable,Diseases, Emerging Infectious,Diseases, Re-Emerging Communicable,Diseases, Re-Emerging Infectious,Diseases, Reemerging Communicable,Diseases, Reemerging Infectious,Emerging Communicable Disease,Emerging Communicable Diseases,Emerging Infectious Disease,Emerging Infectious Diseases,Infectious Disease, Emerging,Infectious Disease, Re-Emerging,Infectious Disease, Reemerging,Infectious Diseases, Re Emerging,Re-Emerging Communicable Disease,Re-Emerging Communicable Diseases,Re-Emerging Infectious Disease,Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases,Reemerging Communicable Disease,Reemerging Communicable Diseases,Reemerging Infectious Disease,Reemerging Infectious Diseases