Bioterrorism: This Means War

Is a terrorist group planning to attack your country with a biological weapon? Bioterrorism has grown in past years because of the price, effectiveness, and how easy it is to make that type of weapon. It is estimated that 17 countries have the technology to develop biological weapons (Kaufmann, Meltzer, and Schmid n.p.). Anthrax is a good example of a biological weapon because it causes spores that will cause death or severe pain. Most biological weapons can be classified as a virus or a disease. If the world was sent into an all-out war it would be blown into the Stone Age because of the effects. The effects range from destruction of crops or livestock and incapacitating people. Bioterrorism has a long history in the health department because it is such a destructive weapon that can help you or it can kill you. Bioterrorism started in 1346 when the Tarter force, in Ukraine, experienced an epidemic of the plague (Bioterrorism n.p.). The Tarter force threw the diseased bodies into the city they were attacking to spread deadly diseases. Another case of Bioterrorism was when the British troops gave blankets to the Native American Indians that were infected with the small pox disease. Many cases of early uses have been reported but others have been debunked. Terrorists groups have become smart and have used anthrax in letters so victims will become infected upon opening. The U.S. has since taken safety precautions to prevent attacks from happening in the future (History of Bioterrorism n.p.). Health care facilities are very concerned about the outbreak of a biological agent attack.

Bioterrorism was a powerful deterrent to war because of its rareness, but now almost every country has biological weapons that could wipe ou...

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