In October 2001, the United States suffered its first fatal bioterrorism attack. Spores of Bacillus anthraces were to face States Postal Service, to Florida, to New York and Washington. D.C. This attack resulted in 22 cases of anthrax infection with five victims of inhalations anthrax disease. It could have been much worse. A letter is received by Sen. Tom Daschle of South Dakota contained the equivalent of a packet or two of artificial (one to two grams) sugar spores of anthrax. When the letter was opened, spores floating in the air, Hurst a few people but did not of death. However, if the contents of the letter had been aerosolized (of small particles in the air) in a more efficient manner - blown into air pendant UN basketball game or a political rally, for example - spores could cause hundreds or thousands dead.
Coal Contaminated letter
Bioterrorism is the use of natural biological agents or by genius against civilians for political, religious or ideological purposes. Bioterrorism has been used a few times in the recent past. In 1984, the Rajneeshees, a religious cult, sprayed Salmonella dysphemism, a pathogen of origin on the salads in The Dalles, Oregon in an attempt to influence a local election food. The sabotage resulted in 750 cases of poisoning of Salmonella, but no fatalities occurred. In the 1990s, the Japanese sect Aum Shinrikiyo attempted to use coal of biological agents and the plague, but failed because they could not overcome the technical difficulties of dissemination.
Much of the technology needed to develop and diffuser of bioterrorism agents was invented in the twentieth century biological weapons programmes. Until the end of this century, Russia, Iraq and the United States had programmes of active biological weapons which produced thousands of pounds of deadly microorganisms not anthrax, smallpox, plague, botulinum and other toxins. They also experimented with genetic modifications of these organisms to produce agents to which humans no natural immunity and for which there is no treatment. Thousands of scientists have worked on these programs and evidence that some of them may have taken their expertise in the 'rogue' United Nations or possible terrorist organisations, programs at the end.
Demonstration of smallpox vaccination
Terrorists can choose between dozens of biological agents which can be dispersed in form liquid or powder, but if aerosolized, they must be of a particular size to enter the lungs. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has identified 31 biological agents that terrorists are more likely to be charged. Face says Army Medical Research Institute of infectious diseases has reduced that list to six officers: smallpox, plague, tularemia, anthrax, viral haemorrhagic fever agents and botulinum toxin. This list was developed using five criteria: likelihood that an optative terrorist get amounts of starting the agent, the facility to produce large quantities of the agent, the ability of the agent to remain stable in the environment, the capacity of the agent to infect humans and the ability of the agent to kill humans.
Coal is a highly lethal agent that can doom the death of 90% of long people unless antibiotic treatment is undertaken before the victim begins to develop symptoms. Smallpox is on the list because it can be transmitted from one person to another, can be spread by aerosolization kills a large proportion of people long, is very stable in the environment and is contagious in small quantities. Smallpox has been eradicated worldwide in 1980. However, samples of the virus are deposited in laboratories in Russia and the United States and could possibly fall into the hands of terrorist organizations. Another disease on the list, the plague, was like growing a global epidemic recorded in 541 a.d. divided on Europe. North Africa and Asia, killing 50 to 60% of people long. The plague bacillus can survive on surfaces for an hour and can be spread from person to person by respiratory droplets. Mortality can be reduced if antibiotics are administered within 24 hours of the symptoms. Tularemia is a very contagious pathogen, but is of the not cannot spread from one person to another. The World Health (who) Organization has estimated that an aerosol kg 50 speech of tularemia. Over 5 million people could kill 19,000. Botulinum toxin is the most potent toxin known to man. Inhalation would be the most probable route of exposure, but it could also be added to the feed. Treatment of the disease is very difficult. The final agent is doing the Ebola virus hemorrhagic fever viruses and Marburg are most likely to be used by terrorists. As for botulism, there is no direct treatment of these diseases.
Centers for Disease Control leadership briefs press on bioterrorism preparedness
While firefighters, police and emergency medical services will be on the front line of a terrorist attack using explosives, radiological substances or chemical agents in a bioterrorism attack their role will be secondary. The first responders will be providers of medical care and public health workers. However, in the major part of the country, professional public health local and medical care providers have a bad training and resources to meet a major bioterrorism attack, especially since the first hours immediately following a bioterrorism attack are essential to save lives and reduce the anxiety of the community.
A rapid response to a bioterrorism attack unannounced may be delayed because the disease can be recognized quickly. Incubation period of the agent, the uniqueness of the symptoms and the finesse of a doctor for performance the first case of the disease depend on the elapsed time between the release of a biological agent and the recognition of the attack. Once an attack was suspected, public health and medical care providers will be responsible for determining which is most likely to be exposed and to provide intervention of these people before they develop symptoms of the disease, or, if the symptoms is during, they will provide the treatment. Government premises Sera also responsible for providing the public and the news media in a way that reduces panic.
Bioterrorism is the most significant challenge facing the public health from AIDS. Millions of dollars are flowing into state and local public health departments of the Federal Government to address. With planning Valmont, that money will not be only better prepare the country for a bioterrorism attack, but will also enhance public health and medical. , that will better position the countries to solve other pressing public health problems.
Other References
Fang, I.W. and Kenneth Alibek. Bioterrorism and Infectious Agents: a new dilemma for the 21st century. New York: Springer, 2005; deadly cultures of wheelies, Mark, Lajos Rózsa and Malcolm Dando, ends.: biological weapons since 1945. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2006; Zubay, Geoffrey. Bioterrorism Agents: Vaillancourt & their legalization. New York: Columbia University Press, 2005.
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