SARS PREVENTION INFORMATION

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is a respiratory illness that has recently been reported in various areas of the world. Because of possible changes in the advisories, alerts and travel warnings issued for a particular country, it is imperative that international travelers or those receiving travelers from abroad regularly monitor the Centers for Disease Control http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/faq.htm and World Health Organizations http://www.who.int/csr/sars/en/ web sites.

Hawai‘i receives thousands of visitors daily from Asia including those from SARS risk areas. The University of Hawai‘i also has many students, faculty/staff, and visitors who are either from these areas or have traveled to those areas. Therefore, it is likely that university students and personnel could come in contact with people in these categories. The following is for your information.

The risk in perspective

• Not all respiratory illnesses are SARS—the great majority is still the common cold or flu—and many illnesses are accompanied by fever.
• Not all persons coming from SARS areas have SARS, nor could they transmit the illness unless they actually have the illness.
• The risk of catching SARS is very low, even in the “hot zones” of SARS risk areas. For example, the risk of contracting SARS is 1 in >6,000 in Beijing.
• There have been no actual cases of SARS in Hawai‘i despite the thousands of tourists arriving daily.

Preventive measures further reduce risk

• Wash hands frequently.
• Use alcohol-based cleaning rubs for hands if soap and water are not readily available.
• Clean your workplace environment regularly, particularly equipment and surfaces shared by many others.
• Cover your nose and mouth if you sneeze or cough.
• Do not share personal use articles with others.
• Request that your work unit have surgical masks and disposal gloves available if you should feel the need to use these protective articles.