Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Conceptual image of the letters of SARS on a flask containing an artwork of lung airways and marked with a hazard sign. This represents research into the SARS virus that infects the lungs. SARS is a disease first recorded in China in late 2002. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and headaches, It is thought to be spread through the air and by touching surfaces contaminated by water droplets from coughing. Death is usually from respiratory failure, with a mortality rate of around 10%. It is caused by a coronavirus, similar to the common cold. Research efforts have identified the virus and several possible vaccination methods.