{
  "id": "RL31937",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL31937",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 101622,
      "date": "2003-05-23",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-08T14:44:28.720544",
      "title": "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS): Public Health Situation and U.S. Response",
      "summary": "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is a new influenza-like disease; the overall case\nfatality\nrate is currently estimated to be about 15%. Scientists have isolated a previously unknown type of\ncoronavirus which they believe is the cause of the disease. The genetic material of the SARS virus\nhas been sequenced and this may be helpful in determining the origin of the virus and understanding\nits behavior as well as developing a treatment and a vaccine. Currently, all tests for SARS infection\nare considered experimental. The World Health Organization (WHO) and others are working to\ndevelop a reliable diagnostic test which can be used to confirm a clinical diagnosis of SARS.\n  Federal, state and local public health agencies share responsibility for a range of different\nactivities that are important in effectively reacting to and ultimately overcoming a disease outbreak\nsuch as SARS. In investigating the SARS outbreak, the most important activities are case detection,\npatient isolation and contact tracing using disease surveillance systems as well as epidemiology and\nlaboratory services. Other important public health measures include the development and\ncoordination of emergency medical response plans, the regulation of environmental conditions that\nimpact health, and the rapid and clear communication of information between all levels of the public\nhealth agencies, health care personnel, the media and the public.\n  The states have primary responsibility for protecting the health and welfare of their citizens. \nThe federal government, through the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), is responsible\nfor preventing the introduction and spread of communicable diseases from foreign countries into the\nUnited States at international ports or from one state into another. HHS is also responsible for overall\nhealth policy making and public health protection. Among the federal agencies within HHS, those\nprimarily involved in the U.S. response to the SARS outbreak are the Centers for Disease Control\nand Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Food and Drug\nAdministration (FDA).\n  The U.S. public health system has received dramatic funding increases over the past 2 years to\nstrengthen the public health infrastructure and enhance its capacity to respond to emergencies such\nas a bioterrorist attack or outbreak of infectious disease. Consequently, many analysts will be\nevaluating the U.S. reaction to the SARS epidemic to identify any gaps in the public health system\nresponse and address them accordingly, in order to be better prepared for any future event involving\nbioterrorism or emerging infectious disease.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
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}