Threats of Bioterrorism
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Threats of Bioterrorism
Bioterrorism, for this paper, is defined as the deliberate release of biological agents or bio agents to cause harm to the environment or people. Bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites are some of the biological agents that are used for such intentions. These bioagents have the power to affect humans in some ways, ranging from mild effects such as allergies to serious ones such as disease or death. It is important to note that most of these agents are found in nature but are altered in laboratories to make them more potent on their targets. Bioterrorism is a major worry for most nations as it can be very hard to detect and contain once an attack happens. During the recent decades, the improvement in biotechnology and genetic engineering has made it easier for a scientist to create such agents increasing the threat of bioterrorism (Mugavero et al., 2015). Some of these biological agents can be spread quickly through, air, water or even in the food we consume. Gwerder et al, (2001), found that the threat of bioterrorism one of the most threatening in modern day society due to its characteristics.
According to Riedel, bioterrorism is not a new phenomenon as it was used in the past during warfare (2004). In the early days, cadavers and animal corpses were used to spread diseases in the enemies’ territories. Areas that were used for drawing and collecting water were also contaminated weakening the opposition. A good example of bioterrorism in earlier times is the Caffa siege of 1396 in modern day Ukraine. The Tartars who had experienced a plague used the corpses of their dead colleagues to spread the disease outbreak in the city. This move subsequently led to the death of more than 20 million people in Europe and some parts of North Africa marking one of the greatest instances of bioterrorism documented to date.
In 2001, the US suffered Anthrax attacks which were...