Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)

At a glance

Nationally notifiable disease
No vaccine available – read more about prevention

About SARS

SARS is a serious respiratory infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV). The virus is thought to have originated in animals.

SARS and COVID-19 are different illnesses caused by different coronaviruses (SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2).

There is no vaccine or specific treatment for SARS.

Why it matters to public health

SARS can cause severe illness and death. During a global outbreak from 2002 to 2003, about 1 in 10 people with SARS died. Australia was not significantly affected.

Because of how serious SARS can be, it is a listed human disease. This means the Australian Government can take extra steps under biosecurity laws to minimise the risk of it entering the country and respond quickly if it’s detected.

Disease patterns

SARS has not been detected in people since 2004.

Symptoms

If you’re looking for advice about your own health or treatment options, see healthdirect or speak with a qualified healthcare professional. Our role is to provide public health advice – information and guidance that helps prevent disease, protect communities and improve wellbeing at a population level.

Symptoms can range from mild illness to severe disease.

Common symptoms include:

fever
chills
a dry cough
muscle aches
headache
feeling generally unwell
shortness of breath.

Less common symptoms include:

Possible complications include:

pneumonia (chest infection)
respiratory failure
heart problems
long-term breathing problems
kidney damage.

Read more about the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of SARS.

healthdirect’s symptom checker can help you decide whether to see a healthcare professional.

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/symptom-checker

Onset of symptoms

Symptoms usually start 2 to 7 days after exposure. In some cases, they can take up to 10 days to appear.

How it spreads

SARS-CoV is thought to have originally spread from an animal to a person.

The virus can spread between people through close or prolonged contact. This includes through:

the air – such as when an infected person coughs or sneezes
contact with body fluids – such as secretions from the nose or throat, or stool of an infected person.

It can also spread through contact with contaminated surfaces or objects.

Infectious period

People with SARS are thought to be infectious from when their symptoms start. They are usually most infectious during the second week of illness.

Prevention

Vaccination

There is no vaccine against SARS.

Other prevention steps

You can help protect yourself and others from respiratory viruses by:

staying home if you are unwell
improving ventilation, for example by opening windows
putting physical distance between yourself and others, especially when indoors
wearing a face mask when around others, if you can, especially when indoors
regularly washing your hands
coughing or sneezing into your elbow or a tissue, putting used tissues in the bin, then washing your hands
cleaning contaminated surfaces.

Priority groups

People at greater risk of severe disease

SARS poses a greater risk of severe illness for:

older people
pregnant people
people with certain chronic conditions.

People at greater risk of exposure

People who have contact with someone with SARS have a greater risk of exposure.

The risk of being exposed to SARS is very low while the virus is not circulating in people anywhere in the world.

Diagnosis and treatment

You can use healthdirect’s directory to find a health service near you.

Find a health service

SARS is diagnosed through laboratory testing of:

a swab from the nose or back of the throat (or both)
urine
stool
blood.

Read more about laboratory testing for SARS.

There is no specific treatment for SARS. People with SARS usually receive care in hospital.

Surveillance and reporting

SARS is a nationally notifiable disease as it poses a risk to public health.

State and territory health authorities report new cases to us through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.

This is part of national surveillance to monitor case numbers and understand disease patterns.

Read the SARS surveillance case definition.

Support

For information about SARS in your state or territory, see:

If you need mental health support, see a list of organisations, websites and services that offer support, counselling and information.

For travel advice, see Smartraveller.