Information about Bioterrorism
- For the use of biological agents in warfare, see Biological warfare.
Definition
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 1:A bioterrorism attack is the deliberate release of viruses, bacteria, or other germs (agents) used to cause illness or death in people, animals, or plants. These agents are typically found in nature, but it is possible that they could be changed to increase their ability to cause disease, make them resistant to current medicines, or to increase their ability to be spread into the environment. Biological agents can be spread through the air, through water, or in food. Terrorists may use biological agents because they can be extremely difficult to detect and do not cause illness for several hours to several days. Some bioterrorism agents, like the smallpox virus, can be spread from person to person and some, like anthrax, can not.
Types of biological agents
The CDC has defined and categorized bioterrorism agents according to priority 2 as follows: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.- Anthrax
- Anthrax is a non-contagious disease. An anthrax vaccine does exist but requires many injections and has side effects that render it unsuitable for general use.
- Smallpox
- Smallpox is a highly contagious virus. It transmits easily through the atmosphere and has a high mortality rate (20-40%). Smallpox was eliminated in the world in the 1970s, thanks to a worldwide vaccination program. However, some virus samples are still available in Russian and American laboratories. Some believe that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, cultures of smallpox have become available in other countries. Although people born pre-1970 will have been vaccinated for smallpox under the WHO program, the effectiveness of vaccination is limited since the vaccine provides high level of immunity for only 3 to 5 years. As a biological weapon smallpox is dangerous because of the highly contagious nature of both the infected and their pox. Smallpox occurs only in humans, and has no external hosts or vectors.
- Botulinum toxin
- Botulinum toxin is one of the deadliest toxins known, and is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Botulism causes death by respiratory failure and paralysis. It is also easy to obtain since it is found in the cosmetic products Botox and Dysport.
- Ebola
- Ebola is a viral hemorrhagic fever, with fatality rates ranging from 50-90%. No cure currently exists, although vaccines are in development. The United States and the erstwhile Soviet Union both investigated the use of ebola for biological warfare, and the Aum Shinrikyo group possessed cultures of the virus. Ebola kills its victims through multiple organ failure and hypovolemic shock.
- Plague
- Plague is a disease caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium. Rodents are the normal host of plague, and the disease is transmitted to humans by flea bites and occasionally by aerosol in the form of pneumonic plague. The disease has a history of use in biological warfare dating back many centuries, and is considered a threat due to its ease of culture and ability to remain in circulation among local rodents for a long period of time.
- Marburg
- Marburg is a viral hemorrhagic fever virus first discovered in Marburg, Germany. Fatality rates range from 25-100%, and although a vaccine is in development, no treatments currently exist aside from supportive care. As with ebola, basic barrier nursing significantly reduces the virulence of the virus.
- Tularemia
- Tularemia, or rabbit fever, is a generally non-lethal and severely incapacitating disease caused by the Francisella tularensis bacterium. It has been widely produced for biological warfare due to its highly infective nature, and ease of aerosolization.
Category B agents
Category B agents are moderately easy to disseminate and have low mortality rates.- Brucellosis (Brucella species) Brucellosis is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria of the genus Brucella. These bacteria are primarily passed among animals, and they cause disease in many different vertebrates. Various Brucella species affect sheep, goats, cattle, deer, elk, pigs, dogs, and several other animals. Humans become infected by coming in contact with animals or animal products that are contaminated with these bacteria. In humans brucellosis can cause a range of symptoms that are similar to the flu and may include fever, sweats, headaches, back pains, and physical weakness. Severe infections of the central nervous systems or lining of the heart may occur. Brucellosis can also cause long-lasting or chronic symptoms that include recurrent fevers, joint pain, and fatigue
- Epsilon toxin of Clostridium perfringens
- Food safety threats (e.g., Salmonella species, , Shigella, Stash)
- Glanders (Burkholderia mallei)
- Melioidosis (Burkholderia pseudomallei)
- Psittacosis (Chlamydia psittaci)
- Q fever (Coxiella burnetii)
- Ricin toxin from Ricinus communis (castor beans)
- Staphylococcal enterotoxin B
- Typhus (Rickettsia prowazekii)
- Viral encephalitis (alphaviruses, e.g.: Venezuelan equine encephalitis, eastern equine encephalitis, western equine encephalitis)
- Water supply threats (e.g., Vibrio cholerae, Cryptosporidium parvum, Cholera )
Category C agents
Category C agents are pathogens that might be engineered for mass dissemination because they are easy to produce and have potential for high morbidity or mortality (examples: nipah virus, hantavirus and multi-drug resistant Tuberculosis (MTB).Modern bioterrorist incidents
1915-16 livestock sabotage by Germany
Dr Anton Dilger, a German-American physician, worked for Germany in the U.S. (Chevy Chase and Baltimore) in 1915 and 1916 with cultures of anthrax and glanders with the intention of biological sabotage on behalf of the German government. Other German agents are known to have undertaken similar sabotage efforts during WWI in Norway, Spain, Romania and Argentina.1984 Rajneeshee Salmonella attack
In 1984, followers of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh attempted to control a local election by incapacitating the local population by infecting salad bars in eleven restaurants, doorknobs, produce in grocery stores and other public domains with Salmonella typhimurium in the city 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
- See also: Ricin
Planning for 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 outbreaks, such as food poisoning due to E. coli or Salmonella, could be of either natural or deliberate origin.
Biosurveillance strategies
In 1999, the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Biomedical Informatics deployed the first automated bioterrorism detection system, called RODS (Real-Time Outbreak Disease Surveillance). RODS is designed to draw collect data from many data sources and use them to perform signal detection, that is, to detect the a possible bioterrorism event at the earliest possible moment. RODS, another systems like it, collect data from sources including clinic data, laboratory data, and data from over-the-counter drug sales. In 2000, Michael Wagner, the codirector of the RODS laboratory, and Ron Aryel, a subcontractor, conceived of the idea of obtaining live data feeds from "non-traditional" (non-health-care) data sources. The RODS laboratory's first efforts eventually led to the establishment of the National Retail Data Monitor, a system which collects data from 20,000 retail locations nation-wide.On February 5, 2002, President Bush visited the RODS laboratory and used it as a model for a $300 million spending proposal to equip all 50 states with biosurveillance systems. In a speech delivered at the nearby Masonic temple, Bush compared the RODS system to a modern "DEW" line (referring to the Cold War ballistic missile early warning system).
The principles and practices of biosurveillance, a new interdisciplinary science, were defined and described in HANDBOOK OF BIOSURVEILLANCE, edited by Michael Wagner, Andrew Moore and Ron Aryel, and published in 2006 by Elsevier's Academic Press division. Biosurveillance is the science of real-time disease outbreak detection. Its principles apply to both natural and man-made epidemics (bioterrorism).
Data which potentially could assist in early detection of a bioterrorism event include many categories of information. Health-related data such as that from hospital computer systems, clinical laboratories, electronic health record systems, medical examiner record-keeping systems, 911 call center computers, and veterinary medical record systems could be of help; researchers are also considering the utility of data generated by ranching and feedlot operations, food processors, drinking water systems, school attendance recording, and physiologic monitors, among others. Intuitively, one would expect systems which collect more than one type of data to be more useful than systems which collect only one type of information (such as single-purpose laboratory or 911 call-center based systems), and be less prone to false alarms, and this appears to be the case.
In Europe, disease surveillance is beginning to be organized on the continent-wide scale needed to track a biological emergency. The system not only monitors infected persons, but attempts to discern the origin of the outbreak.
Researchers are experimenting with devices to detect the existence of a threat:
- tiny electronic chips that would contain living nerve cells to warn of the presence of bacterial toxins (identification of broad range toxins)
- fiber-optic tubes lined with antibodies coupled to light-emitting molecules (identification of specific pathogens, such as anthrax, botulinum, ricin)
Limitations of bioterrorism
Bioterrorism is inherently limited as a warfare tactic because of the uncontrollable nature of the agent involved. A biological weapon is useful to a terrorist group mainly as a method of creating mass panic and disruption to a society. However, technologists such as Bill Joy have warned of the potential power which genetic engineering might place in the hands of future bio-terrorists[1]; a bacterial agent might be engineered for genetic or geographical selectivity. Such a scenario formed the plot of the science fiction novel The White Plague and the action novel Area 7''.Other forms of bioterrorism
The use of agents that do not cause harm to humans but disrupt the economy have been discussed. A highly relevant pathogen in this context is the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus, which is capable of causing widespread economic damage and public concern (as witnessed in the 2001 and 2007 FMD outbreaks in the UK), whilst having almost no capacity to infect humans.The genomic revolution requires scientists to follow a recognised Code of Conduct. The 'dual-use' technology dilemma implicates issues further; good scientific inventions can be reapplied along a sinister vector.
References
See also
- ... use of biological agents to attack agricultural resources.
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
- Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA)
- Biological warfare (BW)
- Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)
- Decontamination
- Global Health Security Initiative (GHSI)
- National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity
- Center for Biosecurity
- Australia Group (AG)
Further reading
Laure Paquette, Bioterrorism and Health and Medical Services Administration (New York: Dekker, 2002)External links
- EU Health Portal Information on EU activities related to bioterrorism
- Green Goo - Life In The Era Of Humane Genocide by Nick Szabo
- Project BioShield Has Given Biotechs Little Motivation to Protect Americans - BioHealth Investor.com (Sunday, January 14, 2007)
- The CDC's Emergency Preparedness & Response (Bioterrorism) Website
- Fighting Fear of a Bioterrorism Event With Information Technology: Real-World Examples and Opportunities
- USAMRIID’s Medical Management of Biological Casualties Handbook
- The Sunshine Project: Protection or Proliferation? Map and Publications on the US Biodefense Program
- "Biotech and bioterror: a global dilemma" -- article based on congressional testimony
- Bioterrorism Category A Agents - Information Resources
- Bioterrorism News from Genome News Network (GNN)
- NOVA: Bioterror
- Revisiting the 1984 Rajneeshee Bioterror Attack in The Dalles, Oregon
- Handbook of Biosurveilance
- RODS Laboratory
- National Retail Data Monitor
Terrorism in the modern sense[1] is violence or other harmful acts committed (or threatened) against civilians for political or other ideological goals.[2]
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Few words are as politically or emotionally charged as terrorism. A 1988 study by the US Army[1] counted 109 definitions of terrorism that covered a total of 22 different definitional elements.
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The history of terrorism is a history of the various types of terrorism and terrorist individuals and groups.
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Definition
- For more details and the etymology of the word, see "Definition of terrorism"
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International conventions on terrorism set out obligations of states in respect to defining international counter terrorist offences, prosecuting individuals suspected of such offences, extraditing such persons upon request, and providing mutual legal assistance upon
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worldwide view of the subject.
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Anti-terrorism legislation designs all types of laws passed in the purported aim of fighting terrorism.Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page.
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Counter-terrorism or counterterrorism refers to the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, and other groups adopt in order to fight terrorism.
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Participants in operations
United States
United Kingdom
Israel
Canada
Australia
Poland
Netherlands
Iraq
Afghanistan
India
Pakistan
Philippines
Somalia
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United States
United Kingdom
Israel
Canada
Australia
Poland
Netherlands
Iraq
Afghanistan
India
Pakistan
Philippines
Somalia
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Red Terror in English refers to the campaign of mass arrests, deportations, and executions conducted by the Bolshevik government in Soviet Russia from 1918 to 1922 [1] [1].
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The Great Purge (Russian: Большая чистка, transliterated Bolshaya chistka
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This article or section is written like a personal reflection or and may require .
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In general, the term White Terror
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This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims.
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This article has been tagged since December 2006.
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The following is a timeline of acts and failed attempts that can be considered non-state terrorism. Massacres more generally are listed chronologically at List of massacres; assassinations are listed by location at List of assassinated people.
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Agroterrorism, also known as Agriterrorism, is "the malicious use of plant or animal pathogens to cause devastating disease in the agricultural sector. It may also take the form of hoaxes and threats intended to create public fear of such events".
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Propaganda of the deed (or propaganda by the deed, from the French propagande par le fait) is a concept of anarchist origin, which appeared towards the end of the 19th century, that promoted physical violence against political enemies as a way of inspiring
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Christian terrorism is terrorism by those whose motivations and aims have a predominant Christian character or influence[1]; to be considered religious terrorism the perpetrators must use religious scriptures to justify or explain their violent acts or to gain recruits
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Communist terrorism (or Communist terror
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Eco-terrorism or ecoterrorism is the concept of terrorism conducted for the sake of ecological or environmental causes. The term is controversial and arguments center in particular on whether "violence against property" is to be included in the definition.
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Islamist terrorism (also known as Islamic terrorism or Jihadist terrorism) is terrorism - an act of violence targeting non-combatants - done by a person or group identifiably Islamic, and/or to further the cause of Islamism as determined by the acts' perpetrators and
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Narcoterrorism is a term coined by former President Fernando Belaúnde Terry of Peru in 1983 when describing terrorist-type attacks against his nation's anti-narcotics police.
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Nationalist terrorism is a form of terrorism through which participants attempt to form an independent state against what they consider an occupying, imperial, or otherwise illegitimate state.
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Nuclear terrorism denotes the use, or threat of the use, of nuclear weapons or radiological weapons in acts of terrorism, including attacks against facilities where radioactive materials are present [1]
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Terrorism in the modern sense[1] is violence or other harmful acts committed (or threatened) against civilians for political or other ideological goals.[2]
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Ethnic violence (also known as ethnic terrorism or ethnically-motivated terrorism) refers to violence that is predominantly framed rhetorically by causes and issues related to ethnic hatred, though ethnic violence is more commonly related to political
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Religious terrorism is terrorism by those whose motivations and aims have a predominant religious character or influence[1]; to be considered religious terrorism the perpetrators must use religious scriptures to justify or explain their violent acts or to gain recruits
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State terrorism is a controversial term, with no agreed on definition, used when arguing that there may be a similarity between terrorism and certain acts done by states.
The concept of state terrorism and indeed of terrorism
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The concept of state terrorism and indeed of terrorism
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worldwide view of the subject.
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Terrorist groups use various tactics to maximize fear and publicity.
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Aircraft hijacking (also known as skyjacking and aircraft piracy) is the take-over of an aircraft, by a person or group, usually armed. In most cases the pilot is forced to fly according to the orders of the hijackers.
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For other uses, see Car bomb (disambiguation).
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A suicide attack is an attack on a military or civilian target, in which an attacker intends to kill others, and knows that they will either certainly or most likely die in the process (see suicide).
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