A group of CSUS students are developing a SARS Web site as their final project in conjunction with various health organizations.

The Management 123 course, in the College of Business Administration, is working with the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the California Department of Health Services to develop a public relations site with a focus on California.

The Health Center also created a private area in response to the disease to aid any students should they show symptoms of SARS. Facemasks will also be available. Harris said that if a student is suspected of having SARS symptoms, the Sacramento County Health department would be notified immediately.

Severe acute reparatory syndrome was first detected late last year in the Guangdong province in China. International travelers have spread the disease to over 20 countries. Since then, there have been several thousand reported cases of SARS worldwide.

The main goal of the Web site is to advise the public of the disease’s symptoms, how the disease is transmitted and what can be done to reduce the risk of infection. Under Dr. Ronald Hodges, the students are required to establish several features on the Web site, such as news releases, public service announcements and a Q & A section, as well as other important features essential to an effective Web site.

Hodges seemed eager that his students were involved in a current issue of local and national importance.

“This is a good example of how students use the skills and concepts learned in class to apply them to a real-life situation,” Hodges said.

The project is being led by student Ryan Fraser. Fraser, as well as other students in the class, paid for the project out of his own pocket. The site, sarsrelief.org, will run for one year. Fraser and Hodges hope that the Sacramento Department of Health, the CDC or another health service will take over the Web site when the year is over.

Health officials have said the Chinese government is withholding what could be vital information about the spread of the disease. As of yet, China has reported over 3,000 cases of SARS infections. The world’s largest manufacturer of health diagnostic tools, Roche Holding, hopes to develop a medicine that will limit the disease’s transmission.

“We are monitoring this situation very closely with the Sacramento Public Health Department and the CDC,” said Joyce Harris, director of student health services.

According the CDC Web site, the first sign of SARS is a fever of over 100 degrees. Other symptoms include headaches and discomfort throughout the body, as well as body aches. After several days, the patient will develop a dry cough and respiratory problems. Suspected patients would be given a chest X-ray to find signs of pneumonia or SARS symptoms.

SARS appears to be spread as a result of close or direct contact with an infected person. The CDC believes that this disease can be spread by simply touching a SARS patient. Like a cold, the disease can be spread by sneezing or coughing on others. The CDC is unaware of other methods of how SARS is spread.

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