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Reporters wearing masks gather outside the Block E of Amoy Gardens, an apartment complex which wa

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, a deadly flu-like virus, has spread throughout the world with cases now being reported in over 13 countries.

The worldwide epidemic, which is believed to have started in southern China, has reportedly infected 1,622 people since late last year, and 58 people have died resulting from the virus, according to the World Health Organization.

“This syndrome, SARS, is now a worldwide health threat,” said Director General of the WHO Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland. “The world needs to work together to find its cause, cure the sick, and stop its spread.”

After being infected, it could take three to seven days before symptoms surface. Symptoms include high fever, chills, dry coughs and body aches. These symptoms can escalate to the point where an infected individual will have difficulty breathing.

Most of the cases have been reported in China and Southeast Asia, and worried citizens from Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan are starting to wear surgical masks and avoid public places like shopping malls and movie theaters. Officials for these countries have closed some schools and cancelled public events like concerts and anti-war protests.

On Monday, health officials in Hong Kong also put a 10-day quarantine on one apartment complex, where 213 people were reportedly infected. Officials threatened tenants with fines or jail time if they went against the orders.

“We haven’t done it before and we hope we won’t do it again,” said Dr. Yeoh Eng-kiong, Hong Kong’s health secretary.

Experts believed the disease was being transmitted like a common cold virus – mostly through droplets, when victims with SARS sneeze or cough and nearby people are affected.

But over the weekend, U.S. Centers for Disease Control director Dr. Julie Gerberding suggested that the rapid spread of SARS in places like Hong Kong might mean that the infectious agent causing the disease may be airborne. If this were the case, the disease could spread more quickly, without needing face-to-face contact with infected individuals.

Gerberding did stress that most SARS patients do appear to recover, and the death rate of SARS (58 deaths in 1,622 reported cases) is lower than with influenza epidemics, which kills 26,000 people a year in the United States, and up to 500,000 people worldwide.

Most reported cases have occurred in health workers directly treating infected patients and in family members of sick patients.

Dr. Carlo Urbani, the first WHO officer to identify the outbreak of the disease, died of the illness over the weekend. Scientists are not certain of the cause of the virus, nor do they have any effective cures for it at this time. Experts said common antibiotics and antiviral drugs have not been effective against the virus.

However, scientists believe they are closing in on the virus that may cause SARS, claiming that it may be a previously unknown strand of a common cold virus called coronavirus.

The coronavirus can survive in the environment for up to three hours, so it is possible that a contaminated object could serve as a vehicle for transfer to somebody else, according to Gerberding.

On Monday, officials at the CDC advised that ordinary infection-control measures against the common cold should work to prevent catching the virus that causes SARS. Health experts recommend frequent hand-washing to stay healthy during the cold season, particularly after any contact with body fluids.

The WHO, the CDC and other health agencies have issued travel warnings and believe the virus has spread quickly throughout the world as a result of international air travel. At this time, there are no travel restrictions in place directly related to SARS, but the CDC recommends that “nonessential and elective” travel to parts of China and Vietnam be postponed until further notice.

Health officials have also set up quarantine centers at major international airports to help stem the spread of the disease.

Quarantine inspectors are warning travelers returning to the United States from Hong Kong, China and Vietnam by giving them health alert notices saying they may have been exposed to cases of SARS while traveling abroad.

These travelers are advised to monitor their health for at least seven days, to contact their physicians if they become ill with a fever accompanied by a cough or difficulty in breathing, and to inform their physician of any recent travel.

Currently, there are 59 reported cases of SARS in the United States, with no reported deaths, according to the WHO. Nearby Canada has reported 44 cases of SARS, with four deaths.

For more information about SARS go to www.cdc.gov. For cumulative statistics on reported SARS cases, go to www.who.int.