Essay on The Destruction of Bioterrorism Agents

Essay on The Destruction of Bioterrorism Agents

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Bioterrorism agents are potential pathogenic organisms or biological toxins that can produce death and disease in humans, plants or animals for terrorism purposes. These agents are usually microorganisms found in nature, but have been modified to increase their virulence and make them resistant to antibiotics or vaccines. To enhance the ability of these agents to be disseminated into the environment, terrorists find biological agents to be an alternative to conventional weapons because of their low cost and accessibility. Any attempted use fo bioterrorism agents whether a success or failure, could cause vast destruction of humanity along with disruption of society in general.
Bioterrorism has been around for much longer than most would imagine. In the 6th century BC the fungus rye ergot was used to poison wells of the Assyrians’ enemies. Smallpox which some say began appearing in 10,000 BC, was used by the British in an act of what we know of as bioterrorism. Smallpox victims would use blankets to keep warm which would transmit the disease. The British would then pass these blankets onto tribes of Native Americans which severely decreased the number and sizes of Native tribes. In the 1980’s Salmonella was used to sicken many who ate from a salad bar. This was a process put in place by followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. As life goes on intelligence will improve meaning there will be better technology and designs of bioterrorism agents. Researchers will constantly be on the lookout for a way to put a stop to any agent that could cause mass destruction in the future.
Previous papers on bioterrorism agents have provided background for this continued discussion of the classification system used to categorize already danger...

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...nd could possibly have a large morbidity and mortality. This would cause international distress which could severely cause distress amongst the world. The Nipah virus is one of these agents which is grouped in category C.
The Nipah virus was an outbreak that occurred in Malaysia. This virus was contracted in humans by coming into direct contact with a host infected with swine. This virus has not been documented in the United States, but did cause over one million deaths in Malaysia. The outbreak of this virus was eradicated, but fruit bats are still prone to carrying the virus and possibly spreading the infection around again. If this virus was to outbreak in other areas, there would not be much many could do. With not much research behind the virus, we do not know what could prevent or even cure some of the clinical symptoms that come along with this virus.

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