Abstract

Thirty-one cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) occurred after exposure in the emergency room at the National Taiwan University Hospital. The index patient was linked to an outbreak at a nearby municipal hospital. Three clusters were identified over a 3-week period. The first cluster (5 patients) and the second cluster (14 patients) occurred among patients, family members, and nursing aids. The third cluster (12 patients) occurred exclusively among healthcare workers. Six healthcare workers had close contact with SARS patients. Six others, with different working patterns, indicated that they did not have contact with a SARS patient. Environmental surveys found 9 of 119 samples of inanimate objects to be positive for SARS coronavirus RNA. These observations indicate that although transmission by direct contact with known SARS patients was responsible for most cases, environmental contamination with the SARS coronavirus may have lead to infection among healthcare workers without documented contact with known hospitalized SARS patients.

Keywords

OutbreakMedicineCluster (spacecraft)Transmission (telecommunications)Index caseHealth careSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)CoronavirusCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirusContact tracingEmergency medicineInfection controlPediatricsMedical emergencyVirologyInternal medicineIntensive care medicineDiseaseInfectious disease (medical specialty)

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Year
2004
Type
article
Volume
10
Issue
5
Pages
782-788
Citations
161
Access
Closed

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Yee‐Chun Chen, Li‐Min Huang, Chang‐Chuan Chan et al. (2004). SARS in Hospital Emergency Room. Emerging infectious diseases , 10 (5) , 782-788. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1005.030579

Identifiers

DOI
10.3201/eid1005.030579