what is sars?
<answer> It is the febrile severe acute respiratory syndrome that first appeared in 2003 and spread rapidly to more than two dozen countries across the world. <context> 1 SARS is the febrile severe acute respiratory syndrome that first appeared in 2003 and spread rapidly to more than two dozen countries across the world, infecting over 8,000 people and killing 774 before it could be contained in 2004.