The emergence and containment of severe acute respiratory syndrome spreaded in a general hospital

Objective:To investigate the SARS epidemic and the control effectiveness in a general hospital. Methods:Clinical and suspected cases of SARS were queried in the hospital, the emerging of the disease was described and the effectiveness of control measures were analyzed according to the rules and protective materials used during the epidemic. Results:The outbreak started with a patient from Beijing on 15 April. The disease spread quickly among the healthcare workers and the cohabit patients in the hospital which the first cases were admitted. By 17 May, 112 probable (clinical cases) and suspected cases had been reported with 14 deaths. 89 cases in the hospital were surely sourced from the index SARS patient whose admission for the sake of coronary heart disease caused the SARS outbreak. With the stringent control measures and the endeavors of the hospital staff, the epidemic was controlled successfully in a short period. From May 17 to now, no new cases occurred. Conclusion:Though with high infectivity, SARS can also be controlled with proper strategy and methods.