Publications, directive and instructionalmethodical papers of WHO, Government and Ministry of Public Health of Russian Federation prepared due to SARS epidemics are reviewed. A brief characteristics of the new disease is represented, the history of the virus discovery, the disease dynamics and SARS dissemination in the world in 2003 are described. Information about SARS suspected cases in Russia and main data on laboratory and clinical epidemiological diagnostics are represented. Measures undertaken for the new disease control are considered in the concluding part of the review. Peculiarities of Siberia and Far East (the region closely connected with the most SARS affected Asian countries) are marked.

A complex of organizingmethodical, medical preventive and antiepidemic measures both at the frontier passing points and on the whole Amurskaya Province prior to detection of a SARS case in Blagoveshchensk City and from the moment of the disease registration to prevent further dissemination of this infection is represented.

Clinical picture of SARS, dynamics, diagnostics, including laboratory diagnostics (ELISA, PCR), and treating are described.

Antiepidemic measures in Blagoveshchensk City of Amurskaya Province were carried out among persons contacted with a patient suspected to «atypical pneumonia» (further diagnosis was confirmed by laboratory methods). Chinese citizens were isolated at the hotel (at the place of their residing); close relatives of the patient were accommodated in the isolation ward of the Regional infectious hospital.  Russians were kept under observation at the place of their residing. The efficiency of the performed measures is marked.

Blagoveshchensk City has the border with PRC along the Amur River and has principal international contacts with this country, where epidemic situation for «atypical pneumonia» became complicated and threat of this infection delivery to the Amur region arose. All the year round transportations are held through the passing point «Blagoveshchensk» by water during navigation period and by iceroad in winter. Technological plans for passing people, loads and transport over the border are prepared taking into account this regime. Formed situation concerning SARS in SouthEastern Asia countries needed additional antiepidemic and preventive measures. The control after passengers was increased, medical examination was held with obligatory thermometry of all people from abroad. Individuals with fever were not admitted to pass the border, and Russian tourists were placed to insulator. The system of monitoring of RF citizen departure to central and southern China provinces is developed and introduced. The resources of individual protection were restocked, desinfection regime was brought in, medical insulator was managed. The cooperation of all control services was regulated. Rational principles of sanitaryandquarantine control organizing in the passing point allowed to prevent the delivery and spreading of SARS on the territory of RF.

Plans of taking the material from patients with SARS or suspected SARS, its preparing for transport and delivery to special laboratories are presented. Expediency of genetic diagnosis of SARS on the base of regional State Surveillance centers is pointed.

A complex of measures at the State frontier passing point «Blagoveshchensk» of Amurskaya Province at the period of SARS importation threat to Russia is described. It includes organizing, methodical, anti-epidemic measures and cooperation of all controlling services that allowed to prevent SARS importation and dissemination (except one case).

The substantiating of SARS diagnosis in patients (Blagoveshchensk, Amur Region) is presented. The diagnosis was based on the results of clinical picture, epidemiological anamnesis and inquiry, and laboratory study of the patient’s blood and nasopharyngeal washes with the help of ELISA and PCR.

Organizational work concerning prevention of «atypical pneumonia» delivery and spreading at the territory of region had begun in March, 2003 by treatmentandprophylactic and sanitary-and-epidemiology services. Large volume of work on guarantee of readiness of the border passing points, hospitals, and surveillance centers in the region for conducting preventive measures in case of SARS delivery into Sakhalin Region was held during Mach-July, 2003. Great importance was attached to the cooperation of all interested services and departments on account of preventing of «atypical pneumonia» delivery into the region, and also training of medical staff in this infection and explanatory work with population.

Measures performed in 2003 at the territory of Kamchatskaya Province by a sanitaryepidemiological service, public health authorities and other concerned departments with an active support of the Province administration to prevent importation and dissemination of «atypical pneumonia» in connection with the epidemiological situation aggravation due to severe acute respiratory syndrome morbidity in countries of SouthEastern Asia and Canada are represented. Organizing, preventive and antiepidemic measures, hospital basis preparation, activities of sanitaryquarantine departments on water and air transport are reflected.

Threat of SARS importation and dissemination at the territory of Magadanskaya Province is conditioned first of all by wide international relations with countries of SouthEast Asia carried out through airport and sea trade port. In this connection large organizing and practical activities on the basis of «A complex plan on sanitary protection of Magadanskaya Province territory from importation and dissemination of quarantine and other especially dangerous infections» are realized. All concerned Departments and Services took part in realization of the preventive measures. The developed and realized complex of anti-epidemic and preventive measures allowed to create obstacles to SARS importation on the territory of Magadanskaya Province.

Primorski territory is the territory of high risk for probably delivery and spreading of quarantine and other diseases of particular danger, which is conditioned by its geopolitical position characterized by intensive international transport communications with the majority of countries. Complex of organizing, anti-epidemic and preventing measures, which were conducted in the territory during 2003, because of world SARS epidemic is presented. State Surveillance Service cooperation with other Territory services and departments, and with quarantine border service of PRC province is reflected. Antiepidemic measures are described which were held in case of detecting of two suspected SARS patients.

Measures for SARS spreading prevention in treatment-and-prophylactic institutions of Primorski territory
and the experience of the pneumonia monitoring of different etiology are presented. The approaches for early detection of patients with SARS are determined.

The existing programs and plans of sanitary protection of territories and municipalities of Russian Federation are directed to prevention of importation and dissemination of quarantine and other known infectious diseases. Modern organizing-methodical papers of Ministry of Public Health of Russian Federation include both nosological and syndromic approaches to resolution of this problem. SARS epidemic situation in the world with an active focus at Asian-Pacific Ocean Region has tested the Russian sanitary protection system at Far Eastern Region. Data on organization and realization of the measures at the period of SARS epidemic troubles in the world are analyzed. The experience of State Surveillance Centers at water and air transport in Far Eastern Region in co-operation with all transport process participants to prevent importation and dissemination of early unknown especially dangerous infection (SARS) is summarized.

The difficulties of SARS laboratory diagnosis, which took place at Primorski Territory during first months of this dangerous infection epidemic are shown.

During April-July, 2003 39 specimens of clinical material from six patients and three dead men with suspected «atypical pneumonia» who were detected on the territory of Khabarovsk, Primorski and Sakhalin regions were investigated. The inoculation of clinical material to cell culture Vero E6 did not show the cytopathogenic effect for coronavirus SARS. The amplificate with sought for molecular weight was obtained in RT-PCR assay with primers SAR1 and BNI in sputum and blood specimens of one of the patients, but it was not cDNA of coronavirus SARS. As a result of additional studies there were established the following diagnosis: HFRS, bronchopneumonia with Clebsiella etiology (postmortem) and leptospirosis (postmortem). The terminal diagnosis for the rest patients were: bronchopneumonia of inferior lobes (3), maxillary sinusitis, ARVI and toxocariasis.

Major activities of sanitary epidemiological service of Jewish Autonomous Region on organization and prevention of SARS importation and dissemination are described. Early measures include preparation of regional normativepractical documents based on analogous papers from Ministry of Public Health of Russian Federation and its introduction to the concerned services and departments. Subsequently, medical personnel training was performed to detection of SARS suspected patients and realization of primary anti-epidemic measures, informing inhabitants about preventive measures. Preparedness of hospital basis and frontier passing points was ensured.

Materials concerning the sanitary protection of the territory of Sakha (Yakutia) from «atypical pneumonia» (SARS) delivery during the epidemic complication in the world are presented in the article. The activity of the region on preventing of SARS delivery by taking of legal and normative documents is shown. Mobilization capacity of the organs and institutions for expanding the measures in case of SARS delivery is reflected, the algorithm of operations is developed.

Under existing conditions of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemics in South-Eastern Asia, mainly in China, a complex of organizing and preventive measures on the sanitary protection that allowed to decrease significantly the risk of SARS importation and dissemination at the territory of Chitinskaya Province has been realized.

A complex of diagnostic measures for detection of a suspected SARS patient is analyzed. Clinical course of the disease in dynamics especially at the early stages allowed to suspect SARS in a worker arrived from China. The diagnosis was cancelled on the basis of the clinical data and laboratory negative results. However, this case allowed to practically perfect tactics of interactions between different services during realization of anti-epidemic measures in a case of SARS suspicion including notification, hospital basis development and PCR-diagnostics adoption.

Complex epidemiological situation concerning SARS in the world, intensive economical, cultural, tourist contacts with South-Eastern Asia countries, including unfavourable in «atypical pneumonia», arose real threat of its delivery to the territory of Republic of Buryatia. In this connection the surveillance centers of the Republic together with treatment-and-prophylactic institutions, railway health service and institutions of other departments conducted complex of measures for preventing of SARS delivery and spreading on the territory of Republic. These were organizational, anti-epidemic, preventive measures in the border crossing points, in trains from China and Mongolia, in public health institutions, Ministry of Internal Affairs, migratory, frontier, customs, and other services. Large work in training of medical staff in SARS, equipment of sanitary control points and hospital base was held.

Organizing, preventive and anti-epidemic measures performed at the territory of Irkutskaya Province at the period of acute severe respiratory syndrome outbreak in the world are analyzed. The current experience  will be used for improvement of the epidemiological surveillance to polish tactics of the preventive and anti-epidemic measures in case of a suspected «atypical pneumonia» patient detection.

The experience of work of the Irkutsk State Surveillance Center together with the town administration for organizing of sanitary-and-anti-epidemic (preventive) measures aiming to well-timed revelation of potential SARS delivery to the territory of the town is presented. Characteristics of cultural-and-economical links of the town with epidemiologically unfavourable in this infection countries is given. Organizing of the work of medicosanitary service at all stages of potential SARS delivery is shown. Complex approach to the increasing readiness of all municipal services and departments is provided by close interaction of he Irkutsk Administration and Surveillance Center. The specific sanitary-and-anti-epidemic and preventive measures conducted in the town during maximum of probability of SARS delivery are described.

Analysis of measures for preventing the delivery and spreading of «atypical pneumonia» in Krasnoyarsk region is presented. Effect of counteracting with this infectious disease of the executive authority organs, State Surveillance service, public health and other interested institutions is emphasized. Further preventing measures against «atypical pneumonia» are determined.

Complex of organizational and prophylactic measures for preventing of SARS delivery and spreading on the territory of Kemerovo region taken during 2003 is presented. Readiness of hospital and desinfectory services for the conducting of anti-epidemic measures is reflected, and problems of Surveillance Centers cooperation with other services and departments, training of medical staff, and also railway and airways staff, guarantee the transportation of passengers.

Despite of available conditions for the delivery of «atypical pneumonia» to Altai Territory, the complex of conducted measures allowed to prevent the cases of SARS. The measures included recommendations for limited travels to the countries with registered cases of SARS, setting the sanitary-control points to increased readiness, theoretical training of medical staff, strengthening of the desinfection regimen, putting wide sanitary education among the population.

Necessary organizing, methodical and preventive work was conducted at Republic of Altai and the border passing point «Tashanta» due to epidemiological complications and dissemination of «atypical pneumonia» in foreign countries. It facilitates to prevent severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) importation to the territory of Republic of Altai.

Materials of the organizing and methodical activities performed by the specialists of State Surveillance Center at Tomskaya Province, Public Health Department, Departmental Services with the support of the Province administration to prevent importation and dissemination of «atypical pneumonia» are represented.

Detection in April 2003 a SARS suspected patient in Abakan town (Republic of Khakasiya) indicates that importation of «atypical pneumonia» and other dangerous infectious diseases to any populated locality of Russia is possible due to the present wide international relations.
A complex of antiepidemic measures performed in Abakan town and other territories (where contacts were revealed) to prevent SARS dissemination is represented.

Clinic-and-epidemiological characteristics of suspected «atypical pneumonia» cases detected in Novosibirsk
Region, organizing of early detection of ill persons and their hospitalizing are presented. Main organizing-methodical and administrative-ordering measures directed on preventing of SARS delivery and spreading on the territory of Region are reflected.
The organizational measures for preventing of «atypical pneumonia» allowed to avert its delivery and spreading in the Region, and to conduct the complex of treatment-and-diagnosis and anti-epidemic measures in suspected SARS cases.

Characteristics of factors, defining the possibility of severe acute respiratory syndrome delivery into the territory of Omsk region are given. The data of complex approach for organization and anti-epidemic measures at the region level for preventing of SARS delivery and spreading are presented. Problems of scientific and practical character, that need to be solved for effective counteraction with epidemic spreading of «atypical pneumonia» are discussed.

A list of organizing and preventive measures to prevent «atypical pneumonia» delivery and dissemination at
Tyumenskaya Province at the period of its world epidemic is represented.

Study materials of a new disease epidemic, symbolically named as a severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), emerged in the late 2002 at south China are reviewed. The significance of the first patients as the major sources of the infection around which plural foci were formed is shown. Infections happened in hotels, hospitals, multistory dwelling houses and in places of mass crowds. Medical workers are attributed to a group of high infection risk. The role of high-speed transport means in the disease dissemination to short and long distances is established. This infection was imported to 32 countries on five continents, but the secondary epidemic complications occurred only in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam and Canada. Global SARS dissemination requires international collaboration and coordination of this infection surveillance system.

Present state of sanitary protection of territories from importation and spread of especially dangerous viral infections is briefly examined. Possible trends for improvement of sanitary protection of territories in Russia are discussed. Differentiated list of urgent especially dangerous viral infections is represented for sanitary protection of territories.