Researchers find SARS to be more resilient than first thought
New research into SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) suggests that the virus is more resilient than first thought, and can be spread through contact with contaminated objects. Scientists from Germany, China, Hong Kong and Japan have found that the virus is capable of surviving for four hours on surfaces and up to four days in human waste. It can also survive indefinitely in temperatures below zero and cannot be destroyed by normal detergent. Although SARS can be contracted by touching a surface that a sufferer has previously touched, it is as yet unclear how much of the virus is needed for someone to become infected in this way. The World Health Organisation is confident that these new findings will help researchers develop better tests for SARS as well as a cure.
Countries
China, Germany, Japan