A viral respiratory illness caused by SARS-associated coronaviruses.
First reported in Asia in 2003, SARS is a respiratory disease caused by a coronavirus strain called SARS-CoV-1. It spread to 26 countries in North America, South America, and Europe before it was contained. It resulted in more than 8000 infections and more than 700 deaths.
Like SARS-CoV-2, it is an airborne virus and can spread through small droplets of saliva in a similar way to the cold and influenza. It was the first severe and readily transmissible new disease to emerge in the 21st century and showed a clear capacity to spread along the routes of international air travel.
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Infectious Disease Respiration