| Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) |
What are the different types of travel notices that CDC issues about disease
occurrences in the world?
CDC has changed the categories of travel notices
about disease occurrences abroad. The new levels of travel notices are:
In the News, Outbreak Notice, Travel Health Precaution, and Travel
Health Warning . These new
travel levels replace Travel Alerts and Travel Advisories. The categories
of travel notices were refined to be more easily understood by international
travelers, Americans living abroad, healthcare providers, and the general
public, and to clarify the need for recommended preventive measures.
From the public health perspective, the refined levels of travel notifications
will enhance the usefulness of the travel notices, enabling them to
be tailored readily in response to changing events and circumstances.
Full descriptions of the new travel notice categories are provided at CDC’s
Travelers’ Health website.
Are any travel notices related to SARS currently in effect?
Travel notices related to SARS are posted on CDC’s
Travelers’ Health website.
What if I must travel to a country where SARS cases have been reported?
What precautions can I take?
As with all infectious illnesses, the first line of defense is careful and
frequent hand hygiene. As a general rule, it is a good practice to clean your
hands often using either soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub. CDC
does not recommend the routine use of masks while in public areas. Guidance
for persons traveling to areas where SARS cases have been reported is provided
at this
page.
What should I do if I have recently traveled to a country where
cases of SARS have been reported?
Information for persons who have recently traveled to an area where SARS cases
have been reported is provided at this page.
What is the risk to persons who may have shared
a plane or boat trip with a possible SARS patient?
Most cases of SARS have involved persons who cared for or lived with someone
with SARS or who had direct contact with infectious material (e.g., respiratory
secretions) from a person with SARS. Transmission of SARS on airplanes and
boats can occur, but the overall risk appears to be low. If a person with
possible SARS flies on an airplane while ill, CDC will request locating information
from other travelers on the flight. With the help of state and local health
authorities, CDC will attempt to monitor these travelers for 10 days for the
development of SARS-like symptoms.
Who notifies quarantine officials about potential SARS cases on
an airplane or ship?
Under foreign quarantine regulations, the
master of a ship or captain of an airplane coming into the United States
from a foreign port is required by law to report certain illnesses among
passengers. The illness must be reported to the nearest quarantine official.
If possible, the crew of the airplane or ship will try to relocate the
ill passenger or crew member away from others. If the passenger is only
passing through a port of entry on the way to another destination, port
health authorities may refer the passenger to a local health authority
for assessment and care.
If I am on an airplane or ship with someone suspected of having SARS, will
I be allowed to continue to my destination?
CDC does not currently recommend restricting the onward travel of healthy
passengers in the event that a passenger or crew member suspected of having
SARS is removed from the ship or airplane by port health authorities. All
passengers and crew members exposed to SARS are requested to provide locating
information and are advised to seek medical attention if they develop SARS-like
symptoms.
What does a quarantine official do if a passenger is identified as having
possible SARS?
Quarantine officials arrange for appropriate medical assistance, including
medical isolation, to be available when the airplane lands or the ship docks.
Isolation is important not only for the sick passenger's comfort and care
but also for the protection of members of the public. Isolation is recommended
for travelers with possible cases of SARS until SARS can be ruled out or until
they are no longer infectious. Quarantine officials will request locating
information from the other passengers. CDC, with the help of state and local
health authorities, will follow up with any close contacts of the ill passenger
for 10 days to ensure that persons who develop symptoms during this period
are identified promptly and managed appropriately.
What does a quarantine official do if a passenger with possible SARS refuses
to be isolated?
Many levels of government (federal, state, and local) have the authority to
compel the isolation of sick persons to protect the public. CDC will work
with appropriate state and local officials if it is necessary to compel the
isolation of a sick passenger.
CDC has recommended guidelines for medical aircraft that transport SARS
patients. Should commercial airlines also follow these guidelines?
No. This
guidance
is intended specifically for air medical transport (AMT) service providers
who use specialized and/or specially equipped aircraft to transport SARS patients.
It should not be generalized to commercial passenger aircraft. The recommendations
for AMT are based on standard infection control practices, AMT standards,
and epidemiologic information from investigations of SARS, including experience
from air transport of patients during the 2003 outbreak. Specific guidance
for airline flight crews, cargo and cleaning personnel, and personnel interacting
with arriving passengers is provided.
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