Acts Of Bioterrorism

Another biological attack terrorist has been successful in committing is the Plaque. “The plaque is another infection that can strike humans and animals. It is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pastis,

During its 2002 symposium on the future of public health, the Harvard School of Public Health recalled several incidents that show anthrax to be a genuine bioterrorism threat: 1979 incidents of inhalation of anthrax in Sverdlovsk (Hamburg, et al., 2002, p. 131); the deliberate release of anthrax only weeks after the 9/11 terrorist attacks (Hamburg, et al., 2002, p. 124); additional incidents of anthrax being deliberately released in 2001 (Hamburg, et al., 2002, p. 127). In addition, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published a 2006 report mentioning a 2004 anthrax incident in the Dirksen Senate Office Building (CNA Corporation, 2006, p. 1). In addition, there are numerous reports of white powder being received by business and governmental officials. Consequently, there is a realistic possibility of an anthrax (or Ricin) bioterrorist attack in the future and the average individual should know how to respond if he/she receives mysterious white powder in an envelope.

“Bioterrorism remains a major threat for the United States despite more than $65 billion spent on protecting the country from myriad dangers, the Bipartisan WMD Terrorism Research Center said in its latest report Wednesday. The center's Bio-Response Report Card evaluated U.S. preparedness for countering threats from bioterrorism and found the country remains vulnerable to multiple threats and "largely unprepared for a large-scale bioterrorist attack."”(UPI.com, 2011). There have been over a dozen leading U.S. bio-defense experts that have taken part in figuring out where we are exactly as a county and what the effects of a terroristic attack

Bruce Ivins, other than his suicide when things homing on to him with the FBI, is the anthrax killer, exposing and estimated thirty thousand people to the deadly spores, killing five, leaving its illness with seventeen others. (Shactman) The problem with chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear terrorism, also know as CBRN, is that, in threats where conventional explosives are not used, chemical, biological, and radiological threats are hard to detect and prevent, and after-the-fact, are, usually, impossible, expensive, or extensive in labor and use of high-tech, cutting-edge equipment, which is complicated and needs technical expertise, to make the clean-up take very long in chemical and radiological threats, and is nearly impossible to collect evidence for examination in a laboratory in chemical and biological threats if aerosolized or in a vapor form, which dissipates into the atmosphere, environment, and plants around it (Center For Excellence in Emergency

The Rajneeshee bioterrorism attack is the perfect example of terrorist or an extremist group taking matters in their own hands. It seems that the purpose and method of delivery was well thought out and was not irrational, Diseases have always been the enemy to man and animals, using viruses as weapons clearly presents a threat to the public and to national security.

Bioterrorism did not begin with 2001 anthrax attacks; it has occurred throughout history and its threat to

Bioterrorism is the deliberate release of viruses, bacteria, toxins or other harmful agents to cause illness or death in people, livestock, or crops. These agents are typically found in nature, but could be mutated or altered to increase their ability to cause disease, make them resistant to current medicines, or to increase their ability to be spread into the environment. Bacillus anthracis is one of the most popular agents to be used in a bioterrorism attack. Anthrax could be used in many forms, for example, it can be placed into letters and mailed, much like the 2001 anthrax attack, anthrax can be released into the air where the spores can be easily blown by the wind and inhaled or can be carried around on objects such as people’s clothes to which it has

Shortly after the horrifying terrorist attack of 9/11 on the United States, the country was hit with a bioterrorist attack called Anthrax. This agent is extremely dangerous and was a serious threat to the government and country. Anthrax spores are typically found in nature and can last for a long time in the environment when produced in a lab. These spores are known as the silent killer because they can be released without anyone knowing, and can be placed in multiple places such as in food and water. The spores are extremely small and hard to detect.

According to Powerpoint on Select Agents and Toxins in Module 2, a select agent is a biological agent that has the potential to pose a severe threat to animal health and safety, plant health and safety, or to the safety of animal or plant products. Biosecurity is a set of procedures intended to protect humans or animals against disease or harmful biological agents, according to Module 1, Biosecurity and the Importance of Invasive Species. According to the CDC video, "History of Bioterrorism" in Module 2, bioterrorism is the use of weapons of viruses, bacteria, and other germs for an attack. Ricin is a poison found naturally in beans (Select Agents and Toxins Module 2 Powerpoint). It prevents cells from making protein. If inhaled, it can cause

To this date, anthrax seems to be the so called weapon of choice by bioterrorists because of how affective the biological agent can be. Anthrax is considered to be noncontagious, since there are no confirmed cases where the bacterium spreads from person to person. “Bacillus anthracis is the bacterium that causes the disease anthrax. It has historically affected herbivores like cattle, sheep or other grazing herds, but has also been a threat to humans who work with these animals and their by-products.” (Lee Ann Obringer). The anthrax spores are actually harmless when they are on the ground or on another unidealistic surface, but once the spores find the right environment, they become deadly. The dream environment for anthrax is one that has

There are numerous biological agents that can be utilized to achieve bioterrorism goals. Anthrax in particular, is an ideal biological organism of choice for offensive use. The anthrax bacterium known as, Bacillus anthracis, is a gram positive, spore forming, non-motile bacterium and the etiologic agent of anthrax (Goel, 2015). The spores of the bacterium are what makes anthrax an attractive biological weapon of choice. The spores are very resilient to withstand pressure, temperature, pH and ionizing radiations and even have a half-life of 100 years (Goel, 2015). The spores can also survive in water, soil and on the surface for years (Goel, 2015). Due to the biology of the spores, anthrax can survive for several decades in the environment (Goel, 2015) and can be quite the public health nuisance. The spores can even be produced and purified and stored in a dry form that can remain viable for decades (Goel, 2015). This dried form of anthrax was used in the 2001 anthrax attacks against United States government officials (Barras & Greub, 2014). This form of anthrax can also be utilized for an aerosol

“Bioterrorism is not only a reality of the times in which we live but bioweapons have been used for centuries” (Christian, 2013). Biological warfare is a high impact, asymmetrical threat in which the weapon can fit in a small test tube. “Critical care physicians play a major role in the recognition of and response to a bioterrorism attack” (Christian, 2013). Silent weapons such as infectious diseases like smallpox and poisons like ricin are viewed by terrorist as an ideal weapon to create

Anthrax Disease is one of the top choices to use for attempts of a bioterrorist attack. This disease is one

Another risk that emergency personnel will face when countering or responding to a terror attack is the risk of a chemical or biological hazard being present at the scene of the incident. Chemical and biological hazards can be a result of the materials used in the bombs or can be a result of a terrorist distributing biological agents, such as bacteria or viruses. According to an article by the Centers for Disease Control, the largest bioterror attack to occur in America was orchestrated by Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh in which he used salmonella typhimurium to infect food at local restaurants in an effort to influence an upcoming election, thus leading to numerous illnesses (Torok, et al., 1997). This attack could have been much worse had the attacker

Bioterrorism is a deliberate release of viruses in the enemy’s territory to cause terror in a community and make the people lose faith in their government. People have been doing this for a long time, people used to just hurl barrels of poisonous snakes at their enemies and they would also send dead bodies that have died from diseases and hope that it would spread, but now it is much more advanced. Scientists fear that enemies will be able to weaponize diseases such as smallpox and Ebola to use against us and since they usually mutate the diseases they will likely be even more deadly and more likely to kill more people. I feel that no one, not even America, should use diseases to get ahead in the war.