| Bioterrorism |
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Information AboutBioterrorism |
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Bioterrorism is Terrorism using Germ Warfare , an intentional human release of a naturally-occurring or human-modified Toxin or Biological Agent . Types of biological agents Category A agents These are biological agents with both a high potential for adverse public health impact and that also have a serious potential for large-scale dissemination. The Category A agents are anthrax, smallpox, plague, botulism, tularemia, and viral hemorrhagic fevers. ; with a highly resistant Spore form. It is highly infectious and lethal when inhaled. It is a non-contagious disease which does not spread from one person to another. An anthrax vaccine does exist but requires many injections and has enough Side Effect s that it is considered unsuitable for general use. Tom Daschle containing 'weaponised' Anthrax powder which caused the deaths of two postal workers during the 2001 Anthrax Attacks in the USA .]] ; . It transmits easily through the atmosphere and has a high Mortality Rate (up to 30%). Smallpox was eliminated in the world in the 1970s , thanks to a worldwide vaccination program. However, some virus samples are still available in Russia n and United States n laboratories. It is also believed it could be available in other labs. However, the effectiveness of Smallpox as a Biological agent is limited since people born pre-1970 will have been vaccinated under the WHO program. In addition to catch Smallpox a person needs to be in close proximity with an someone who has been infected. Finally the use of Smallpox is limited because it only appears in humans. ; and Paralysis . ; . It is extremely lethal, with no cure. The symptoms are profuse bleeding from all orifices. ; and may be fatal. ; . It is extremely lethal, with no cure. ; s, and often pneumonia). Category B agents Category B agents are moderately easy to disseminate and have low mortality rates.
Category C agents Category C agents are , Hantavirus and multi-drug resistant Tuberculosis (MTB)). Modern bioterrorist incidents 1984 Rajneeshee ''salmonella'' attack In 1984 , followers of the Bhagwan Shri Rajneesh attempted to control a local Election by infecting Salad bars in 10 restaurants with Salmonella Typhimurium in the small town of The Dalles , Oregon . The attack caused about 751 people to get sick (no fatalities). This incident was the first known bioterrorist attack in the United States in the 20th century. 2001 anthrax attack In September and October of 2001 , several cases of anthrax broke out in the United States in the 2001 Anthrax Attacks , caused deliberately. This was a well-publicized act of bioterrorism. It motivated efforts to define Biodefense and Biosecurity , where more limited definitions of Biosafety had focused on unintentional or accidental impacts of agricultural and medical technologies. 2003 ricin incidents Planning and reacting to a bioterrorist attack Planning may involve the development of biological identification systems. Until recently in the United States of America, most biological defense strategies have been geared to protecting soldiers on the battlefield rather than ordinary people in cities. Financial cutbacks have limited the tracking of disease outbreaks. Some, like food poisoning due to ''E. coli'' or ''Salmonella'', could be natural or deliberate. In Europe, disease surveillance is beginning to be organised on the continent-wide scale needed to track a biological emergency. In addition of monitoring sick people, it is thought interesting to track whether a disease is due to natural outbreaks or deliberate attack. For example, a natural variety of anthrax occurs in southern Africa . Researchers are experimenting with devices to detect the existence of a threat:
Plants as sensors Very recently, public research has been approved to set up some genetically modified plants that could, in an immediate future, being made profitable to alert the population and the authorities in the event of chemical or biological attack. These new plants specifically modified would change color in contact with certain chemical elements, or biological agents, likely to be used at the time of possible terrorist attacks. The plants — opportunely placed in public places — would lose their Green Color quickly, thus setting off the alarm. Arguments given to justify this option is that people are used to plants much more than to chemical sensors and the use in public places would not worry the population. Another argument is that these GMO sentinels could be deployed on vast geographical areas and their system of detection could be introduced into the Evergreen Trees and the Algae of the watery zones, making it possible for Satellite s to supervise and perceive any change of color due to a hostile agent. Reaction involves
Once the biological agent has been identified, it can be fought through vaccination of people before they are exposed. However, vaccines are not considered to be a perfect solution. A bioterrorist could develop novel, possibly artificial, Pathogen s against which conventional Vaccine s would be useless. Consequently, some suggest that it would be interesting to look for ways of developing vaccines quickly enough for them to be created, mass-produced and distributed after an attack. This could involve progress in DNA Sequencing so that an unknown pathogen's genes could be known very quickly. The resulting sequences could help in the development of an instant DNA vaccine. Another major issue with vaccines is that they often have side-effects which are sometimes lethal, and hence a massive Innoculation program may result in deaths and illness which would be unnecessary if no biological attack occurs. This issue has a particular with the smallpox and anthrax vaccines. Making the vaccine is not the totality of the solution. It is rather easy to order soldiers to take the vaccine, but immunizing the population is not, in particular with a vaccine making people sick, with all the controversies already going around vaccination. For these reasons, some feel that researchers should concentrate on ways to treat victims of biological weapons. For example, Ebola kills people by inducing a widespread inflammatory reaction (similar to Toxic Shock Syndrome ). This could be fought by a new and very powerful Anti-inflammatory drug. Limitations of Bioterrorism A bioterrorist campaign cannot be won as such, since the spread of the germ or virus is not controllable and therefore (unless a non-contagious agent is used) cannot be used to target a certain set of people. The idea would be for the agent and its spread to cause as much disruption as possible to society make another goal achievable. Publications Biosecurity and Bioterrorism , published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., is a peer-reviewed journal that provides an international forum for debate and exploration of the many key strategic, scientific, and operational issues posed by biological weapons and bioterrorism. The indended audience for Biosecurity and Bioterrorism includes individuals with strategic, management, scientific, or operational responsibilities in fields that have a bearing on bioterrorism issues. These include professional fields such as medicine, public health, law, national security, bioscientific research, agriculture and food safety, drug and vaccine development, the media, and local government. See also External links
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