Bioterrorism

In closing, governments need to know that even though the possibility of a biological or chemical attack is remote, they have a responsibility to do everything in their power to curb the opportunities, guard, and take action. For the Japanese government their test is to establish how much to organize for a low probability attack, all while safeguarding against on more likely events with significant, but not inevitably disastrous penalties. But the Japanese also need to make sure they understand that terrorist groups don’t always use biological weapons for their attacks, because they often have other alternatives that will better serve the function of the terrorist organization. Through the risk management perspectives of John Parachini, if the Japanese government can

Bioterrorism is the biggest part of Code Orange and how new and threatening it is. As Derek says on page 138,”But here's my guess: what a terrorist could do is get hold of Mitty. He gets sick and they’re golden. They launch the first successful bioterrorist attack on America.” What Derek is saying is that if a terrorist got hold of a deadly virus that people aren't vaccinated for, they can launch an epidemic that could wipe out a country. What makes smallpox perfect for terrorists is that it hasn't been a thing since the 70’s. This means that people are not currently vaccinated and would never guess that they have it. Clearly, bioterrorism is almost if not more scary than normal terrorism

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.

The first major bioterror event in the United States--the anthrax attacks in October 2001--was a clarion call for scientists who work with "hot" agents to find ways of protecting civilian populations against biological weapons. In The Demon in the Freezer, his first nonfiction book since The Hot Zone, a #1 New York Times bestseller, Richard Preston takes us into the heart of Usamriid, the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, Maryland, once the headquarters of the U.S. biological weapons program and now the epicenter of national biodefense.

“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

The Quadrennial Homeland Security review suggest six strategic challenges that will drive the overall risk to the nation over the next five years. These six risks include: the terrorist threat; growing cyber threats; biological concerns; nuclear terrorism; transnational criminal organizations; and natural hazards (DHS, 2014). The terrorists threat is, arguably, the most publicized and popular of the six risks the DHS lists. The particular risk is unique in the fact that although it can be planned for and mitigated against by state and local governments, it is primarily a federal responsibility, or at least perceived so by most entities. The DHS itself was established due to the events of September 11th 2001 and it has since been a consistent

It is important to understand the references to history that the author uses, in order to properly read and understand this articles intentions. First the author references the anthrax attack carried out by terrorists in 2001. These attacks consisted of letters with anthrax spores inside of them, which were then mailed different news offices and the offices of two U.S. Senators. The attacks killed five people and infected nearly 20 others. Guinan 's

Following the 9/11 and anthrax terrorist attacks, studies focused on the mental state of the nation were performed. While these events occurred over a decade ago, they are not a danger of the past. With increasingly advanced technology, anthrax is relatively easy to produce in large quantities (Inglesby). Additionally, many countries such as China, Israel, and North Korea have nuclear weapons (The Biological Threat). Although biological weapons were forbidden during the Geneva Convention, it would be foolish for America to believe that a bioterrorist attack is out of the picture, especially at a time where large terrorist attacks are increasingly common. Thus, it is important to consider whether bioterrorism’s psychological ramifications,

In the article Brill does an exceptional job of starting off analyzing the then and now of security of the country. Highlighting the extensive efforts of the country to effectively respond to the attack of 9/11. Emphasizing the billions of dollars that the government has poured into new technology and agencies that can better prepare for biological terrorist attacks. Brill captured the attention of many readers when expressing that terrorism cannot be stopped because it's constantly evolving. He feels that the government should come up with rational ideas that can deal with the ever changing terrorism threat instead of creating policies off of current headlines that dominates the day.

Welcome to week 4! This week we are discussing what consequences face the Nation if our chosen threat isn’t adequately addressed and whether we believe that it is being addressed adequately now. Of the six security challenges that are mentioned in the 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review, I have chosen to discuss biological threats. Biological terrorism is a scary prospect that should be a growing concern for the country. The reason for this is the ease at which a bio attack can be put into action. Depending on the level of intricacy of the attack, the effects could be isolated to one area or become a pandemic that spreads across the United States. Bioterrorism comes in many forms but as a general explanation biological

Now in this day and age biological threats and warfare are at an risk of all time high and the Project Bioshield Act will protect the United States of America from these threats. On July, 10, 2010, the House of Representatives created a bill that would withdraw two billion dollars from Project Bioshield to pay for a boost in development for other federal programs. Even though the money was not cut from Project Bioshield it showed us that the project is in danger of not getting the amount of money it really needs to protect the United States of America. The United States government should invest more money into Project BioShield in order to keep Americans safe from upcoming biological threats.

The US right now is taking military and counterterrorism actions, but it is not enough to stop them. Bioterrorism is harder to stop because you won't know whether it is a deliberate outbreak by terrorist group or a natural outbreak of disease (Okoth 2). Bio Attacks are not only deadly to people but also the environment according to Naftali Okoth “dual threats of emerging infections and bioterrorism would pose a major conceptual and technical challenges for a regions intelligence

A death by a biological agent is not a quick one; in most instances it is a slow and very painful death. A fear such a death would definitely incite panic, making it much more difficult for rescue crews and medical personnel to respond, causing the problem to grow out of control (Eitzen 445) With nuclear terrorism, most deaths are immediate due to the sheer force of the explosion of a bomb. This may be startling to think about but death would be swift with possibly very little suffering if any at all. Another possible effect of bioterrorism is the possible lowering of one’s immune system due to lack of sleep caused by fear or by sickness itself, therefore making the disease much harder to fight off. Nuclear terrorism is archaic and unlikely yet it is still in the public eye so often we no longer realize it, yet Bioterrorism is hardly ever mentioned and it much more likely a dirty bomb going off in the middle of a city is not as likely as a weaponized strain of ebola being realeased into the air in this day and age. The inexpensiveness of production, easy distribution and mental toll Bioterrorism takes; it is a very real and very potent threat to our society as a whole. And it is high time it was recognized as

When this is coupled with the physical and psychological casualty care costs even a large economy may see lasting damage. The risk is not solely to the attacked however. Any group that uses a biological weapon is likely to lose credibility and become the recipient of major international repercussions. It is perhaps for this reason that the overall likelihood of an organization pursuing or using CBRN weapons is small, between .99% and 1.36% on average (Victor H. Asal , Gary A. Ackerman , R. Karl Rethemeyer, 2012, p248). While it is not possible to know future actions, any entity that chat chose to attack America with this method may well do so with the intention of drawing us into war as was the intent behind many of Al-Qaeda’s

Protecting the public’s health historically has been a state and local responsibility. However, the growing threat of bioterrorism has highlighted the importance of a strong public health infrastructure to the nation’s homeland security and has focused increased attention on the preparedness of the public health system (Frist, 2011). Since the 2001 anthrax attacks Congress has passed new legislation to increase the strength of the nation’s public health system thus the funding has also rapidly increased to meet the potential demand. There is an ongoing debate however, as to what level of contribution local, state, and federal agency’s feel is an appropriate level of ongoing public health investments.