Interim Guidelines about Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) for Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Personnel
April 4, 2003, 9:00 PM EST

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is tracking reports of outbreaks of a respiratory illness called severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

Because the outbreak has initially affected international travelers who have recently visited mainland China; Hong Kong; Singapore; and Hanoi, Vietnam, CDC issued a travel advisory for people traveling from those areas.

Additional information is available from the World Health Organization at WHO's SARS Web site. These websites are updated continually as new information about SARS is learned.

The illness appears to spread primarily by close person-to-person contact, such as between an ill patient and healthcare workers or between family members. There is no evidence that the infection is spread through casual contact in large groups of people or through contact with objects.

For personnel who are screening passengers for security purposes, CDC does not recommend protective measures beyond those already in use (for example, wearing gloves and hand washing). As with all infectious illnesses, the first line of defense is careful hand hygiene. As a general practice, screening personnel should wash hands frequently with soap and water. If soap and water are not available and hands are not visibly soiled, alcohol-based hand rubs may be used instead.

If you encounter a passenger who appears to have a respiratory illness and who may have traveled from one of the areas listed above try to keep him or her separated from the other passengers as much as possible. Immediately contact the airline and Emergency Medical Service (EMS). Provide the ill passenger with a surgical mask, if available. A surgical mask can reduce the number of droplets coughed into the air.

If a surgical mask is not available, provide the passenger with tissues and ask him or her to cover his or her mouth and nose when coughing.

CDC does not recommend the routine use of masks or other personal protective equipment, such as N95 respirators, for TSA or Bureau of Customs and Border Protection staff or for healthy passengers.

If you develop a fever after contact with a passenger with a possible SARS infection and you also have signs of a respiratory illness (for example, a cough, shortness of breath, difficulty of breathing), you may wish to see your healthcare provider about your symptoms.

For more information about the signs and symptoms of SARS, please visit CDC’s SARS Web site.