title: [ 'Severe acute respiratory syndrome' (SARS) in perspective].
abstract: In the Netherlands, the risk of an outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) appears to be limited, if people in contact with a possibly imported case observe strict measures to prevent contamination. SARS may well be a zoonosis. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy and outbreaks of virus infections in the bioindustry, such as swine fever, foot-and-mouth disease and classical avian influenza, have led to massive killing of cattle, swine and fowl in the Netherlands. The possibility that the bioindustry constitutes a risky microbiological 'experiment' makes a discussion as to its future in the Netherlands urgent.
authors.affiliation: VU Medisch Centrum, afd. Medische Microbiologie en Infectiepreventie, Postbus 7057, 1007 MB Amsterdam. hans.zaaijer@vumc.nl
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Zaaijer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012308:Risk Management; D045473:Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / Q000472:pathogenicity; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D015047:Zoonoses