Within one day Minnesota reported its first two cases of SARS, a disease that is seemingly making its way across the nation.

Currently there is no way to fight the disease that has killed many people, most of them in China where the illness originated. That country has diagnosed 2,601 people with SARS.

Now federal health officials are warning the public to be wary of traveling to Toronto

-- another location of a significant outbreak.

What does all this mean?

It means the public needs to be cautious, but realistic as well. The symptoms of SARS nearly mimic those of the flu so just because someone might have a severe cold doesn't mean they have SARS.

In the two cases reported in Minnesota the children were not severely ill when they were diagnosed with SARS at the hospital.

They did, however, meet new guidelines adopted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control so physicians erred on the side of safety and reported their findings to the CDC.

It's true the medical field is grappling with SARS, but there is no need to panic.