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Severe Respiratory Illness (SRI) in the SARS "Post-Outbreak" Period

The SARS "Post-Outbreak" period is the current period where no active SARS cases have been identified anywhere in the world.  The focus during this period  is on vigilant surveillance for severe respiratory illness of unknown etiology, stringent infection control practices and efficient communication between all stakeholders.  The following documents are intended to provide direction/information for this period:

Enhanced Surveillance - Defines "SRI", "alerts" and baseline surveillance activities.  Is intended to ensure that all provinces and territories have implemented, at minimum, hospital-based surveillance capable of detecting specific alerts. 


Public Health Response
- Provides direction on the public health management of SRI cases and clusters identified through the hospital-based enhanced surveillance system. 


Laboratory Testing
- provides guidelines on specimen collection, handling specimens, and interpreting results.