Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS): Care Instructions

Your Care Instructions

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is an illness that first infected people in Asia, North America, and Europe in 2002. It causes a fever, muscle aches, and a sore throat. Some people also get a dry cough or diarrhea. Most people get pneumonia. In some cases, these symptoms get worse very quickly.

SARS is usually spread through saliva or droplets from coughing. Researchers are testing a vaccine for SARS. But it may be years before it is available.

Severe SARS can be very serious. For this reason, it is usually treated in the hospital. With treatment, most people recover.

A doctor may think that a person has SARS if the person:

• Has a fever and has a cough or trouble breathing, and
• Had close contact with a person who may have SARS or was in an area with a SARS outbreak 10 days before symptoms appeared.

How can you care for yourself at home?

• Be safe with medicines. Take your medicines exactly as prescribed. Call your doctor if you think you are having a problem with your medicine.
• Take an over-the-counter pain medicine, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), or naproxen (Aleve). Read and follow all instructions on the label.
• Do not take two or more pain medicines at the same time unless the doctor told you to. Many pain medicines have acetaminophen, which is Tylenol. Too much acetaminophen (Tylenol) can be harmful.