What is Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)?
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a serious form of pneumonia. It is caused by a virus that was first identified in 2003. Infection with the SARS virus causes acute respiratory distress (severe breathing difficulty) and sometimes death.
All specimens that are sent to the Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis for diagnostic testing are submitted together with a specimen submission form.