SARS is a new kind of pneumonia. From the end of 2002 to the beginning of 2003, SARS broke in Guangdong province, Hong Kong and Beijing, and then gradually spread to the world. SARS is extremely contagious. The symptoms of SARS progress very quickly. SARS smashes the people's tranquil life and many people live in horror, worry and anxiety (Leung, 20030). But if we review the medical history of pneumonia, we would have a better understanding of SARS. It is preventable and good care is essential for contagious patients. As Chinese people, we should have the best use of TCM in our combat with contagion.
First recognized as a global threat in mid-March 2003, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was successfully contained in less than four months. On 5 July 2003, WHO reported that the last human chain of transmission of SARS had been broken.
The rapid and unexpected spread of SARS alarmed both health officials and the public. SARS — the first newly emerged, serious and contagious illness of the 21st century — illustrates just how quickly infection can proliferate in a highly mobile and interconnected world. It's likely the disease began with a single infected person, and then spread around the globe through unsuspecting travelers (WHO, 2003a).
SARS is particularly troubling because health experts know so little about it. Scientists do know that the cause is a new type of coronavirus — one of a family of viruses that in humans usually cause mild upper respiratory infections, including common colds. How the new coronavirus evolved or why it turned deadly isn't known. Nor is it clear why some people succumb to the disease and others recover. Although many who died were older adults with other health problems, SARS has also proved fatal in healthy, young adults. Adding to the uncertainty is that the symptoms are similar to.....................
