NCJ Number
189455
Journal
Emerging Infectious Diseases Volume: 5 Issue: 4 Dated: July-August 1999 Pages: 523-527
Date Published
1999
Length
5 pages
Annotation
The paper evaluates the likelihood of a threat from the list of known biological weapons.
Abstract
Although the list of biological weapons is short, they could pose a difficult public health challenge if properly disseminated. Biological weapons have been used for biological warfare, terrorism and crimes. By focusing on a list of weapons that are low-likelihood, but high-impact diseases, the U.S. can be better prepared for potential international releases and hope to mitigate their impact. A North Atlantic Treaty Organization handbook lists 39 agents. But it is sometimes impractical to spread agents over a large area and make them effective. To cause terror, an agent should be highly lethal and easily produced in large quantities. To be spread over large areas, an aerosol form would need to maintain its stability. Smallpox and anthrax are the two agents with the greatest potential for mass casualties and civil disruption. Both are highly lethal, stable for transmission in aerosol, and capable of large-scale production. Initial recognition of both diseases would likely be delayed, and vaccines are limited. Other bacterial agents include plague and tularemia. Both are potentially lethal without proper treatment, and are infectious at low doses. Other agents include botulinum toxins and viral hemorrhagic fevers. Both are highly lethal, but botulinum toxins may be less effective because of its lower stability in the environment. Production and dispensing are difficult. A number of viruses can cause hemorrhagic fever, including Ebola. They are potential agents because of lethality, high infectivity by aerosol dispersion, and the possibility of replication in tissue culture. The list of pathogens that can cause disease is dynamic. The country needs an appropriate surveillance system and laboratory capability to identify pathogens. The U.S. also must improve public health and medical capabilities to respond to biological weapons. Table, references