Public Health Guidance for Community-Level Preparedness and Response to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
Core Document
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local, national, and global SARS activity; rapid and effective institution of control measures; and the resources, organizational and decision-making structure, and trained staff vital to swift and decisive implementation. This guidance document accounts for two important features of SARS outbreaks: 1) they are neither regional nor national but rather confined to limited geographic – and even institutional – settings, and 2) they are dynamic, meaning that the characteristics of an outbreak can change quickly.
The document is divided into four levels of increasingly detailed information: the executive summary, the core plan, stand-alone supplements that address the key measures for SARS preparedness and response, and appendices to each supplement that provide guidance and tools for local-level preparedness and response activities. The document provides guidance on each of the following key components of SARS preparedness and response:
- Command and Control
- Surveillance and Information Technology
- Preparedness and Response in Healthcare Facilities
- Community Containment Measures, Including Non-Hospital Isolation and Quarantine
- Management of International Travel-Related Transmission Risk
- Laboratory Diagnostics
- Communication and Education
- SARS Investigations and Epidemiologic Research
- Infection Control
Using this guidance document, localities can develop operational SARS preparedness and response plans that reflect consistent approaches among and within jurisdictions to outbreaks of similar characteristics, while taking into account available healthcare and public health resources and other factors that are unique to each community. The document will be updated as necessary to reflect increased understanding of SARS-CoV transmission dynamics and availability of improved prevention tools.
January 8, 2004 | Page 5 of 26 | |
Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention SAFER • HEALTHIER • PEOPLETM |