Severe respiratory syndromes: travel history matters

History of travel or contact is an important clue to emerging infections. Common and novel respiratory viruses can occasionally cause epidemics of viral pneumonitis with severe acute respiratory symptoms (sars). In 2003, World Health Organisation (WHO) coined the word SARS for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in patients with a relevant travel/contact history and sars. The WHO case definition of suspected SARS was fever, respiratory symptoms and close contact with SARS patients or travel history to an epidemic area. The clinical features are essentially the same as for any respiratory viral infections or pneumonitis. Since 2003, many new surveillance guidelines and confusing abbreviations appeared in the city of Hong Kong. In 2012, another outbreak of coronavirus pneumonitis occurred in the Middle-East. More case definitions such as MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) and SARI (Severe Acute Respiratory Infections) were coined for the viral pneumonitis. In medicine, a definition or syndrome representing "a constellation of symptomatology seen in association" should stand the trial of time after it is coined. Health organisations should provide consistent definitions for index surveillance, epidemiological and prognostication studies. Travel or contact history is pivotal in formulating management protocol during any outbreak when the pathogen is not initially clear.