Treatment+&+Response-+SARS


 * Response to the Disease**

At first, health authorities and the Peoples Republic of China discouraged media spread of the outbreak. They tried to silently deal with the epidemic without disrupting social standards. After the World Health Organization (WHO) was finally notified of the spreading disease, the global response to SARS was impressively rapid. The WHO limited the spread of SARS through bold response and a ban on travel.

China’s National SARS Response:
 * Early identification + isolation of cases: reducing public crowding and other opportunities for transmission.
 * SARS was classified as an infectious disease and a national head quarters for the disease was set up in Beijing (April 2002).
 * Daily reports of new or suspected SARS cases were required from all provinces and were reported to the WHO.
 * Government announced free treatment in all SARS cases (a way to encourage poorer citizens and those with less access to seek proper care).

A SARS announcement in a daily Chinese newspaper:

**Treatment**

Because SARS is a viral disease, antibiotics are ineffective. In the case of the Guangdong outbreak, often times, rooms with oxygen and supplemental ventilation would be used. However, because there is no vaccine and virtually no treatment, authorities had to revert to the standard (however, outdated) approach of isolating and quarantining patients. A significant portion of patients require intensive care and attention, adding to the heavy strain on hospitals and health care systems. However, all attempts to treat and quarantine those sick were eventually successful, as there was an elimination of the disease in China’s provinces.