The Biological weapons are Also termed Bioterrorism
Biological warfare (BW)
Biological weapons (Bioterrorism) also known as germ warfare—is the use of biological toxins or infectious organisms such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi with the aim to murder or debilitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war.
Additionally, Biological weapons (often termed “bio-weapons”, “biological threat agents”, or “bio-agents”) are living or non-living organisms as (viruses, are non-living things) that reproduce inside their host. Entomological (insect) warfare is also a type of biological weapon.
Biological Warfare Versus Nuclear & chemical
This type of warfare is distinct from nuclear warfare and chemical warfare. Nuclear and chemical warfare together with biological warfare make up the term NBC, or weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). None of these are traditional predictable weapons. The traditional weapons use is primarily for their fiery, kinetic, or combustible possibility.
The use of Biological warfare is in diverse ways to win a strategic gain over the enemy, either by terrorization or by real employmentBiological weapons are useful as area denial weapons. These agents may be lethal or non-lethal, and may be targeted against a single person, a group of citizens, or even a whole population. The preparation, possession or employment of biological weapons can be by nation states or by non-national groups.
There is an overlap between biological warfare and chemical warfare. Toxins, synthetic viruses and psycho-chemical (mind-altering) weapons are often referred to as mid-spectrum agents. Unlike bio-weapons, these mid-spectrum agents do not reproduce in their host and are typically famous by shorter incubation periods.
The use of biological weapons is prohibited under customary international humanitarian law. The use of biological agents in armed conflict is a war crime.
The Biological Weapons Threats
A biological attack could feasibly result in huge numbers of fatalities and cause severe disturbance to economic and community infrastructure.
Mercury Poisoning and detoxification
Biological warfare permits for the possibility to create a level of devastation and fatalities far in excess of nuclear, chemical or conventional agents, relative to their mass and costs.
As a strategic weapon for military use, a major dilemma with a BW attack is that it gets days to be effective, and therefore might not immediately stop an opposing force urgently. Some biological weapons (smallpox, pneumonic plague) have the capability of person-to-person transmission via respiratory droplets which is undesirable issue, because the weapons can target unintended populations.
bacillus anthrax was of real concern to the national USA national security (Amerithrax) after the mails enclosing Anthrax spores powder and killed 5 persons in 2001.
Signals of impending biological warfare
Some warning signals of impending biological terrorism
- Unusual, rare, genetically engineered strain of an agent.
- High morbidity and mortality rates occurs in regards to patients with the same or similar symptoms.
- Abnormal clinical or laboratory presentation of the disease and/or atypical geographic or seasonal distribution.
- Rare transmission (aerosols, food, water).
- The sudden emergence of a rare illness that affects a large, disparate population (respiratory disease might suggest the pathogen or agent was inhaled).
- Comparable genetic map of microbes in involved individuals.
- A large quantity of cases of mysterious illness rushing for treatment at the same time and/or unexplained mortality in a non-contiguous area or unusual population to be affected.
References
1- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_warfare.
2- Treadwell, Tracee (March–April 2003). “Epidemiological Clues to Bioterrorism” (PDF). Public Health Reports. 118: 93–94. doi:10.1093/phr/118.2.92. PMC 1497515 . PMID 12690063