2003년 전반기에 국내에는 총 75건의 SARS 신고가 접수되어 추정 환자 3명, 의심 환자 17명이 보고 되었으며, 이 중 혈청학적으로 확진된 환자는 없었다. 본 논문은 2003년 전반기에 국내에서 발생한 SARS 추정 환자(probable case) 3예를 보고하는 바이다. 중국, 홍콩과 지리상으로 인접하고, 이들 국가와 왕래가 많은 국내에 SARS의 유행적 발생이 없었던 점은 국내의 조속하고 철저한 방역 감시체계 가동으로 인한 성과로 볼 수 있다. 그러나 새로운 바이러스의 출현이 일회성으로 끝난 적이 없었던 전례를 볼 때, 2003년 후반기 및 이후 상황은 낙관할 수 없다. 철저한 대비 만이 국내에 SARS 전파를 막고 피해를 최소화 할 수 있을 것이다.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a new infectious disease in human, first recognized in November, 2002 in southern China. Since March, 2003, SARS has spread rapidly worldwide and the SARS outbreak was more than 8,098 cases from 29 countries. National surveillance system for SARS started from March 16, 2003 in Korea. We report the clinical, laboratory, and radiologic features of 3 probable cases of SARS diagnosed between April 22 and May 12, 2003 in Korea. The first case was a 41-year-old man who was diagnosed as a probable case of SARS because he had fever, cough, travel history to China, and radiologic finding of pneumonic infiltration. The second was an 81-year-old American who came from the Philippines and was going to America by way of Korea. He had fever, cough, and radiologic finding of pneumonic infiltration. The third was a 28-year-old man who noted fever, cough, travel history to Taiwan, and pneumonic infiltration on chest X-ray. Their symptoms were improved in 5-7 days after symptomatic treatment. The antibody test was negative in all patients.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a new infectious disease in human, first recognized in November, 2002 in southern China. Since March, 2003, SARS has spread rapidly worldwide and the SARS outbreak was more than 8,098 cases from 29 countries. National surveillance system for SARS started from March 16, 2003 in Korea. We report the clinical, laboratory, and radiologic features of 3 probable cases of SARS diagnosed between April 22 and May 12, 2003 in Korea. The first case was a 41-year-old man who was diagnosed as a probable case of SARS because he had fever, cough, travel history to China, and radiologic finding of pneumonic infiltration. The second was an 81-year-old American who came from the Philippines and was going to America by way of Korea. He had fever, cough, and radiologic finding of pneumonic infiltration. The third was a 28-year-old man who noted fever, cough, travel history to Taiwan, and pneumonic infiltration on chest X-ray. Their symptoms were improved in 5-7 days after symptomatic treatment. The antibody test was negative in all patients.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Korea