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Article: Hospital staff at risk from close contact with the ill
- Article from:
- The Scotsman
- Article date:
- April 4, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2003 The Scotsman. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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THE main symptoms of severe acute respiratory syndrome are high
fever, dry cough and shortness of breath. SARS is also associated
with other symptoms, including headache, muscular stiffness, loss of
appetite, confusion, rash and diarrhoea.
According to the World Health Organisation, based on current
available evidence, close contact with an infected person is needed
for the infectious agent to spread from one person to another.
Contact with exhaled droplets and bodily secretions from one person
to another appears to be important.
To date, the majority of cases have occurred in hospital workers
who have cared for SARS patients and the close family members of
these patients. However, the ...