Bioterrorism

Bioterrorism is a kind of terrorism by using living organisms like bacteria, viruses, fungi etc. toxins
can also be used for this purpose. The organisms are released for causing death in animals, plants,
humans. They are in nature but can also be modified and made resistant to vaccines and drugs.
These can be spread through food, water and air. These agents are used for terrorism because they
can’t be detected easily and cause in several days. It is attractive war weapon which is cheap and
easy to use and can be easily obtained.

History
Biological weapons are known because of their harmful effect on people from the 14 century.
Arrows were used contaminated with plague viruses in wars. A person’s dead body died with some
viral disease has also thrown in enemy’s wells and when they drank water they got effected too.
In 1346, the army faced a bubonic plague disaster. Catapults were used to throw diseased cadavers
to transmit the disease. The spores were thrown on enemies through helicopter.
In 2001, spores of anthrax were also send to major officers of USA through letters. When they
opened these letters, and inhaled the spores, they got affected too. 5 out of them died.
Moreover, anthracis was also used in world war 1 and 2. Vibrio cholera was also used in world
war 2.

Rules and Regulations

The first international protocol launched in 1975 which tells us that geological and toxin weapons
should not be
 Developed
 Produced
 Collected

The main articles of this protocol are

I. Never produce any biological weapon
II. If you have one, then destroy it
III. No biological and chemical weapons of one country should be transferred in another
country

Biological Agents
The main agents are as follows
 Dengue fever
 Ebola virus
 Streptococcus
 Anthrax
  Animal pathogens like bird flu
 Plant pathogens like rust and smut

Categories
Category A: higly toxic, spread very quickly through air and have very high mortality rate.
Category B: moderate, mortality rate is also moderate.
Category C: newly evolved micobes like GMOS

How to Determine Bio Attack?

Can’t determine exactly but can recognize with the help of some clues like
 Multiple healthy person suddenly become ill
 Unusual disease or ailment
 Unusual mortality rate
These are not standards to check but they can prove the biological attack somehow.

Anthrax
Spores are formed and become dormant until favorable conditions come, so very harmful and
cause severe pathogenicity. Vaccine against it has developed. It enters through skin, inhalation and
attacks at intestines or lungs and then go lymph node through blood and produce its toxins there
and cause disease.

Limitations
Laws have proved to restrict the use of biological weapons but still people use them. There should
be strict rules and punishments for their use as they are very harmful and destructive to use. They
can be used not only against human but can also be used against animals and crops too.