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Dr. Dominic Tsang, a Hong Kong government biologist, holds up two pictures – one showing a

Many students may have traveled to countries at risk for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome over spring break. These students are now returning to dorms, apartments and lecture halls at UCLA.

UCLA health officials are taking precautionary measures against the occurrence of the flu-like disease which is spread by close contact. Recent evidence suggests SARS may even be airborne.

The staff at the Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center at UCLA is prepared to treat patients in the event of a SARS outbreak.

“If we determine that someone has symptoms that were suspicious ... (high fever, chills, and respiratory problems), we would admit them to the emergency room promptly,” said JoAnn Dawson, director of primary care at the Ashe Center.

“The earlier the intervention, the better off they’ll be.”

The current treatment for SARS is hospitalization and supportive care.

Students who traveled to countries with reported cases of SARS such as China, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore within the last seven to 10 days are especially at risk for contracting the disease.

“If (students) have the (symptoms) and if they’ve traveled in or been in close contact with people who have been in these countries, they should check with us,” Dawson said.

Other popular spring break spots such as Mexico have not yet experienced a reported outbreak of the disease.

“This is allergy season, so it’s very common for people to have respiratory symptoms now,” Dawson said.

“But if they haven’t been to those countries, their risk is zero.”

Harold Lee, a first-year English student and Daily Bruin Contributor, traveled to Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China over spring break. He witnessed the atmosphere of the cities under the threat of the epidemic.

“A few people wore masks – mostly elderly people,” Lee said. “I don’t think the young people really worried about it as much.”

According to Lee, although there was an obvious awareness of the epidemic, there were few signs of fear or paranoia.

“We used public transportation a lot, and even then people didn’t really wear the masks,” he said. “It seemed like a normal day for people.”

Lee and his family, however, took the precautionary measures of wearing masks in the subways and in congested areas of the city.

When Lee returned from Hong Kong, yellow cards from the CDC were distributed to passengers on his flight with instructions and phone numbers to call should they experience any SARS symptoms.

Lee, however, believes that media coverage of SARS has created an inaccurate portrayal of the disease.

“I was really skeptical of the American media before the trip because they were describing it as a killer pneumonia,” he said. “It just led people on.”

The Ashe Center staff received preparatory information for the treatment of SARS prior to the return of students from spring break.

“Because this is a contagious illness, we’re asking anyone with those symptoms to wear masks and our staff will wear surgical masks as well,” Dawson said.

According to Dawson, the threat of SARS for UCLA students is relatively low.

“I don’t want to frighten anybody, but I do want people to be aware that there is something going on,” she said.

“We are aware of it and we are monitoring it. This isn’t something that will take us by surprise.”