Bioterrorism: Definition, Categories, Examples, Symptoms, Consequences, Preventive Measures

Table of Contents

What is Bioterrorism?

Bioterrorism is a type of terrorism that involves the intentional release or threat of release of bacteria, virus or other biological agents to sicken/kill people, livestock and crops.
An intentional act of deliberately releasing virus, bacteria, or other germs to cause illness or death is bioterrorism attack.
Bioterrorism is also known as biological attack.
A biological attack is the deliberate release of germs or other biological substances that can make you sick.
According to Interpol, “Bioterrorism refers to the intentional release of biological agents or toxins for the purpose of harming or killing humans, animals or plants with the intent to intimidate or coerce a government or civilian population to further political or social objectives.”
Germs used for bioterrorism are basically found in nature. However, they are also modified into harmful agents to increase their ability to cause disease, spread, or resist medical treatment.
Bioterrorism is a continue threat to public health. A bioterrorism attack in a public place is a public health emergency.
The act of bioterrorism is carried out to terrorize a civilian population or manipulate the government.
Bacillus anthracis, the bacteria that causes anthrax, is one of the most likely agents to be used in a biological attack.
Bioterrorism disrupts the economic, religious, social distractions, ideological and political influence and has a massive impact on human life than a war.

Depending on the easiness of spreading and severity of illness, bioterrorism agents can be categorized into three categories; A, B and C.

They are considered as having highest risk to public and national security.

Agents/Diseases:

They are kept in second highest priority.
These are the agents that are:
- Relatively easy to disseminate
- Result in moderate morbidity rate to low mortality rates

Agents/Diseases

It includes emerging pathogens.
They are considered as emerging threats for the disease. They are emerging pathogens that could be used for mass spread in the future.
Category C agents could be designed for mass dissemination in the future because of:
- Its availability
- Easiness of production
- Potentiality for high morbidity and mortality rates
Emerging diseases such as Hantavirus, Nipah virus etc. fall under category C.

Emergency physicians/health personnel can suspect the early signs of bioterrorism attack if they see the mysterious symptoms among the clusters of people.
These symptoms might also be similar to those of influenza or other common illnesses.
Some of the common symptoms of bioterrorism attack/exposure to biological agent might include:
Sore throat
Blurred/double vision
Exhaustion
Skin blisters and rashes
Difficulty in talking
Confusion
Muscle weakness
Nausea/vomiting
Diarrhea
Abdominal pain
Coughing

Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has taken the responsibility of nation and public health to detect a response to a bioterrorist event.
Strategies used by CDC includes:
- Promotion of quality of life by controlling and preventing the disease outbreaks and detection of biological weapons or toxic bioterrorism agents
- Increase the capacity of diagnosis and detection of bioterrorism agents
- Proper management criteria for disease outbreaks
- Improved identification, characterization of the biological agents, toxins and chemical exposure
- Support to public health capacities and provide control measures to disease
- Installation of emergency information system to collect, analyze and provide data of outbreak of disease
- Diagnosis of disease in the hospital and laboratories to improve the health of the populations in the community

Vaccination
Rapid development of vaccines
Develop and coordinate bioterrorism forensic capabilities for analysis of trace evidence
Development of antimicrobials and antivirals
Improvement and testing of environmental and personal protective equipment
Strengthening of health care system for response and recovery
Integrated approaches to response and recovery
Communications of the risk and preventive protocols to public
Development of treatment and decontamination protocols
Modeling the likely effects of the bioterrorism attacks to understand the severity of the threat and estimate the effectiveness of different defensive responses.

There are certain vaccines developed against some agents used for bio-terrorism.
Certain vaccines are an accepted component of post-exposure prophylaxis against potential bioterrorist threat agents.
Licensed vaccines exist against anthrax, smallpox, and plague. Likewise, other vaccines are also under development and licensing.
Vaccines for anthrax and smallpox have applicability in the postexposure prophylaxis and management of exposed civilian populations.

Bioterrorist attack of Anthrax in 2001 is well known to all where powdered spores of anthrax were deliberately put into the letters through the U.S. postal system. Twenty-two (22) people, including 12 mail handlers, got anthrax, and with 5 fatalities.
In the 1300s, during the siege of Caffa, Tartar (Mongol) warriors faced an epidemic of However they converted their misfortune into opportunity by hurling the cadavers off their diseased into the city, thus bringing up the plague epidemic in the city. This resulted into widespread pandemic swept through Europe, the near East and North Africa, also known as the Black Death of 14^th century and was the most devastating public health disaster in the history.