International {#ss1}
=============

SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) {#ss2}
----------------------------------------

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a respiratory illness that has recently been reported in Asia, North America, and Europe. SARS, an atypical pneumonia of unknown aetiology, has killed more than 200 people world‐wide, and infected almost 4000.

SARS was first recognized on 26 February 2003 in Hanoi, Vietnam. A man (index case) was admitted to hospital in Hanoi with a high fever, dry cough, myalgia and mild sore throat. Over the next four days he developed increasing breathing difficulties, severe thrombocytopenia, and signs of Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome and required ventilator support. Despite intensive therapy he died on the 13 March after being transferred to Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China. On 5 March, seven health care workers who had caredfunding increases, combined with the increases for already existing Diversity and Nurse Education and Practice programmes, will go far in advancing the nursing profession', President Blakeney noted.

The Nurse Reinvestment Act (PL 107--205), which was signed into law in August 2002, expands authority for existing nursing programmes and creates a number of new ones. For example, the new law authorizes scholarships and loan repayments for nursing students who agree to work in shortage areas after they graduate. In addition, the act authorizes public service announcements to promote nursing as a career, loan cancellations for nursing faculty, grants for geriatric nurse education, and grants to encourage nursing best practices, such as those in the American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet Recognition Program, for excellence in nursing services.

'We thank Senator Mikulski for