With all of the hubbub about H1N1 (the swine flu) going around in the last year, it seems as though many people have completely forgotten about another potential pandemic of the twenty-first century. SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) is a disease that attacks the function of the lungs of the person who is being affected. In general, it is fairly easy to identify with a few tests and some information about the travel of the patient, who the patient may have come into contact with and also by the onset of atypical pneumonia accompanied by a fever of at least 100.4 F.

Unfortunately, there aren’t any known cures for treating this disease. There are, however, several supportive care steps that can be taken to ensure that the person has the best chance at making a full recovery. Because SARS is a viral disorder, antibiotics are ineffective in treating it. This means that it will become necessary for hospital staff to offer care such as ventilator support to those people who need it, more than normal oxygen to ensure that the lungs stay full of high quality oxygen as well as the use of antipyretics to reduce the fever of the patient.

Early detection is a key to ensuring a full recovery by those who are infected with SARS. If a patient seeks medical attention at the onset of symptoms it is possible for the disorder to run its course in a matter of just a few days. If caught early, the patient is almost assured the highest possible chance of survival as they will have supportive care available to them from the beginning of their ordeal.