Stories and reports about SARS now fill the media to such an extent that many people feel overwhelmed. Naturally, facing this glut of information, it is difficult for laypeople to sift out what is is accurate from what may be less-than-completely-accurate.
Below are links to reliable sources of information about SARS and guides to protecting oneself.
The UCLA Arthur Ashe Student Health & Wellness Center has posted a Question and Answer (Q&A) page that addresses several areas of concern.
The U.S. Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC') web site on SARS:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/index.htm
The CDC SARS Web site presents the most recent information at the top of the page and on the right. Each link on the page includes a date showing when the information was added to the page. The CDC home page includes a link that specifically addresses the needs and concerns of adoptive families. Look under "Travel and International Resources" and click on "Adoptive Families" or go directly by clicking:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/adoption.htm
The CDC web site has links (toward the bottom of the home page) to reports on SARS from other countries.
The World Health Organization (WHO) web site's page on SARS:
http://www.who.int/csr/sars/en/
On the main WHO SARS page are links and statistical information, including the progress of SARS, and the number of cases worldwide as calculated on a daily basis, and medical updates.
If you are only interested in the most recent information from WHO, go directly to the report for the day:
Cumulative Number of Reported Cases to date
Situation Update
If WHO has not issued a report for the day on which you visit their site, then you may consult a clickable list of available recent documents on their website. Choose one of these to view recent developments.
The State Department recently issued an additional travel advisory: China - Travel Warning, April16, 2003.
The State Department also issued a SARS public announcement on April 24.
The State Department website information on SARS is not being updated as rapidly or frequently as information on either the CDC Web site or the WHO Web site. The State Department recommends that people who are concerned about SARS check the CDC Web site and the WHO Web site.
Information Specific to China
The following are mostly official, governmental sites.
Sites in English
The Beijing municipal government maintains a SARS page, in English, at
www.beijing.gov.cn/english/englishsars/beijingen
The Chinese Center for Disease Control & Prevention maintains an English-language SARS information page at: www.chinacdc.net.cn/english/default.asp
Sites in Chinese
China CDC SARS page: www.chinacdc.net.cn/feiyan/default.asp
SARS daily reports are at: www.chinacdc.net.cn/feiyan/default1.asp
The Ministry of Health (MOH) SARS page: www.moh.gov.cn/zhgl/zt/index.htm
On this page are rules and regulations from the Ministry of Health and other ministries.
On the right hand side of the MOH page is a link "Internal Situation"
(guonei dongtai) with information on SARS in the various provinces.
If you click on guonei dongtai you go to
www.moh.gov.cn/zhgl/xgxx/gndt/index.htm
The MOH daily national SARS report is at: www.moh.gov.cn/zhgl/yqfb/index.htm
The Ministry of Civil Affairs has SARS information at:
www.mca.gov.cn/news/fd/fd.html including news on provincial SARS prevention work and the MCA current news page at: www.mca.gov.cn/news/index.html
People's Daily main SARS page is at: www.peopledaily.com.cn/GB/shehui/212/10548/index.html.
You can click on the name of a province to get SARS news reports from
that province.
The portal Sina.com.cn has SARS news reports at:
http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2003-04-23/11461012316.shtml
The portal Jincao.com has a collection of links to SARS information pages at: www.jincao.com/fd/fd.htm and to SARS laws and regulations at
www.jincao.com/fa/fdfl.htm .
Information Specific to Taiwan
The following are official, governmental sites, in English.
Center for Disease Control www.cdc.gov.tw/en
Department of Health www.doh.gov.tw/doenglish
Taiwan headlines www.taiwanheadlines.gov.tw. A link, on the right to the page, takes one to several pages with current information on SARS.
Published: Friday, May 2, 2003