SARS Epiville Case Study

Epiville Case Study

1. Provide a brief description of SARS, supporting your description with sources from the case study

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory disease that presents with high fever (100.4F or 38C) coupled with breathing difficulties or severe cough that begins within 10 days of close contact with an infected person, and either residence or recent travel history to a recent local transmission area (Epiville Department of Health, n.d.). A probable/suspect case of SARS exhibits infiltrate patterns consistent with respiratory distress syndrome or pneumonia coupled with a positive SARS coronavirus test (Epiville Department of Health, n.d.). A descriptive analysis of cases with person shows that the elderly (ages 60 and above) are disproportionately affected and more likely to die as a result of the disease, while children and young people below the ages of 25 are at the lowest risk of getting infected. A descriptive analysis of place shows that cases are concentrated within Area B of Epiville. A total of 12 people have died from suspected SARS infection over the past two weeks and 53 others are confirmed cases.

2. Describe patterns you can identify in the population impacted by the SARS outbreak, citing the case to support your response.

The population impacted by the SARS outbreak resides in the same street address, the Amoy Apartment Complex, which serves a tenant population of 600 (Epiville Case Study, n.d.). Further, all affected individuals exhibit a common pattern of pneumonia-like symptoms that includes severe flu, high fever, and difficulty breathing (Epiville Case Study, n.d.).

3. Draw conclusions about the mode of disease transmission based on your analysis of the disease and population

Based on the conducted analysis, the disease is most likely transmitted through direct person-to-person contact with an infected person, when they sneeze or cough and these droplets are then deposited on nearby surfaces, with which uninfected people come into contact. People at the greatest risk of acquiring the disease are those in close contact with infected people, such as those living or caring for them. These are more likely to have physical contact through nursing care, close conversations, sharing of utensils, and embracing. The fact that cases are concentrated within one location confirms this conclusion. People living within the same apartment complex are more likely to have close physical contact during play, common events, and sharing of common items such as escalators, all of which provide a means for the virus to spread from one person to another.