Generality
Also known as severe acute respiratory syndrome, SARS is a contagious and potentially fatal viral disease. It mainly affects the respiratory system, causing symptoms very similar to those of the flu and, in the most unfortunate cases, an atypical pneumonia capable of causing severe respiratory failure.
The first (and currently only) SARS outbreak occurred between 2002 and 2003 in China. From there, the virus spread rapidly to many other Asian countries and beyond. The discovery of SARS is due to an Italian doctor, Carlo Urbani, who was one of the 774 victims of the epidemic infection.
Currently, there is still no effective cure and not even a vaccine. However, microbiologists are studying the virus, to find its weakness.
