WESTERNS GOVERNERS UNIVERSITY | SARS | HAT Task 3: Competency 725.8.7: Environmental and Global Health Issues | | SUBDOMAIN 725.8 - COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSING | 6/5/2014 |

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A. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is a severe form of pneumonia. The infection causes severe breathing difficulty and sometimes even death. SARS is caused by the coronavirus family of viruses, which is the same family that usually causes the common cold. SARS was believed to start when the virus spread from small mammals in China to humans in the 2003 epidemic. A World Health Organization physician named Dr. Carlo Urbani acknowledged SARS as a new disease in 2003. He diagnosed a 48 year old man, who had traveled from China, through Hong Kong, to Vietnam with SARS. After the doctor and the physician died from SARS, the disease was spreading fairly quickly. It spread and infected peoples in Asia, Africa, Australia, South and North America, and Europe. When someone who is infected with SARS coughs or sneezes, infected droplets fly into the air and anyone who breathes in or touches these particles can get infected by the virus and this was the viruses' mode of transmission. The virus can live on hands, tissues, and other surfaces and droplets in the air 3 hours after it has dried. At the end of the epidemic in June 2003, the global total affected was 8,422 with 916 deaths, which made up 11% of global population. All ages were effected, but women the most. Also, health care workers were at a higher risk for SARS and accounted for 15th of all cases. The virus had a lengthy incubation and symptom time, which explains why and how it spread so fast. For every 1 person that was infected, an average of 2.7 people was impacted. This virus would devastate my community. The virus would spread fast because of the prolonged incubation period and the symptoms are similar to that of the common cold, so some may not even be aware they have something as serious as SARS until it’s too late.

B. The way I would report this is first gather the group and make sure all have SARS. Then would identify the public health personnel who responds to a SARS emergency and make sure they are have on a N-95 mask with PPE like goggles, gloves, and gowns. Fill out the CDC SARS case report for ever individual with an attached chest x-ray and fax it immediately to 304-558-6335 along with frozen fixed tissues from an autopsy, stool and urine specimens, and etc. I would also make sure they ensure they isolate those affected in hospitals or home. I would also make sure to note where the infected persons came from and inform the hospital there.

C. Ozone is a gas found in both the Earth’s upper and lower atmospheres. The protective one is in the upper atmosphere and the harmful ozone is in the lower atmosphere. The lower level is a very severe pollutant and is mixed with sunlight and cars, factories, and power plants. Because people with asthma are more sensitive and experience the effects more quickly and severely, extra precautions must be taken to ensure their safety. I would tell the parents of children suffering with asthma to run the air conditioner in the house and limit the child’s play time. Also, I would tell parents to talk to coaches as see if it’s possible to have practice in a air conditioned gym inside and have the child’s fast acting medicine on hand. I would also, depending on how high the air pollution, tell the parents to increase the medication for the child.