Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)

February 14 – July 3, 2003

At a glance

ob体育 activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to support Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

Lab worker conducting experiment

About the Response

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was a global disease outbreak in 2003 that was caused by a coronavirus called SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV). The illness was first reported in Asia in February 2003.

ob体育 worked with the World Health Organization in late February to investigate and confirm outbreaks of SARS in Southeast Asia.

The illness spread to 29 countries, where 8,096 people got SARS and 774 of them died. The SARS global outbreak was contained in July 2003.