WHO Informal Consultation on the Transmission of SARS CoV and Other Pathogenic Viruses through Faecal Droplets<br>Rome 23-25 September 2003
Consensus Statement Background
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was first described as a new disease in March 2003. Its causative agent is a coronavirus named the SARS-associated coronavirus, SARS CoV. It is generally agreed that the main mode of transmission is from person to person in close proximity. Through outbreaks in Hong Kong SAR, the People's Republic of China, Viet Nam, Singapore and Canada it rapidly achieved notoriety as a readily transmissible infectious disease with a significant mortality rate (currently estimated at 9.5%) and global economic consequences. The costs incurred by the 2003 outbreaks have been estimated at between US$30 and 150 billion.