Definition

Noun: 1. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome: A serious and potentially fatal viral respiratory illness. It is caused by a coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and is characterized by symptoms including high fever, cough, and difficulty breathing (dyspnea) which can progress to severe pneumonia and hypoxia.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The global outbreak of SARS in 2003 highlighted the importance of international cooperation in public health.
  • Hospitals implemented strict isolation protocols to prevent the spread of SARS.
  • Researchers worked quickly to identify the coronavirus that causes SARS.

Advanced Usage

• "SARS-CoV": The specific name of the coronavirus that causes SARS. The acronym stands for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus.
  • The genome of SARS-CoV was sequenced shortly after the disease was identified.
• "SARS pandemic" or "2002-2004 SARS outbreak": Refers to the major epidemic that spread from China to multiple countries between 2002 and 2004.
  • The SARS pandemic was eventually contained through coordinated public health measures.

Variants and Related Words

• SARS-CoV-2 (n): The novel coronavirus identified in 2019 that causes the disease COVID-19. It is genetically related to but distinct from the virus that causes SARS.
  • SARS-CoV-2 is more transmissible but less fatal than the original SARS virus.
• MERS (n): Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, another serious respiratory illness caused by a different coronavirus (MERS-CoV).

Synonyms

• Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (full name)
• Atypical pneumonia (a general, less specific term sometimes used during the initial outbreak)

Related Phrases

• SARS patient: An individual diagnosed with or being treated for SARS.
  • The SARS patient was placed in a negative pressure room.
• SARS transmission: The process or manner in which the SARS virus spreads, primarily through respiratory droplets.
  • Close contact was identified as the main route for SARS transmission.

Noun

1. a respiratory disease of unknown etiology that apparently originated in mainland China in 2003; characterized by fever and coughing or difficulty breathing or hypoxia; can be fatal