the concept of bio-terrorism
Summary
Terrorism is defined as the calculated use of violence to create a general climate of fear among a group of people. the history of terrorism can be traced from the French revolution. The aspect and intensity of terrosism has since continued to develop become more and more modern as the technology and more innovation continues to rise. Terrorism is practiced by political parties with the rightists and leftist objectives, religious groups together with nationalists groups, revolutionalities., as well as the state institutions. Among the state entities that conduct terrorism include the intelligence services, armies, and even the police.
Terrorism fall under various categories including the state-sponsored, which involves a nation acting on another nation. The dissert terrorism is one that is labelled against the government. The politicaly rooted terrorisms atr the terrorists and the lefy anf right. The basis of the act is political ideology. Religious terrorisms are motivated by religious ideologies while criminal terrorism is meant for criminal benefits.there is also the case of the pathological terrorism, which is often committed by people who do not necessarily have a reason behind it. typically, this form of terrorism can refer to different things including the mental or physical illness. Bioterrorism is a form of pathological activities.
For a long time, terrorism has always been a globa challenge. Nations worldwide work together to win the war against terrorism. The focus of the paper will be the bioterrorism, the use of bacteria, germs and virus to haemproplr with the objective f spreading fear. The aim of the research is to establish on the preparedness of nations on the war against bioterrorism
Issue
Bioterrorism covers a large area of concerns, from catastrophic terrorism with mass casualties to smaller events producing civil disruption, disease, disabilities, and/or death. typically, there has been rgument that terrorisms use pathogens lijke virus and bacteris to cause diseases and eventually harm people. Alsthough it is not a common strategy among the terrorism, the small number of people affected during the attack cause a high level of panic on the rest of the populatin. Fear often causes people to change their behavior. Often, these disease may spread widely affecting a large group if measures are not talen into considerations. Preparedness could be the most effective defense against these possible bioterrorist events. In bioterrorism, the pathological agents are released to cause harm to people. even though they might in the nature, they can also vbe altered to enhance their resistance ti the present medication hence increasing their abilioty to spread into a wider scope. The primary objective of bioterrorism is not only to cause morbidity and mortality of people but also to facilitate the social and political breakdown.
The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 is an example of the possible bioterrorism against hunman kind. The disease, which started in Huwan China in December 2019 has since developed and spread across the globe causing many deaths. Controlling the spread of disease, personal protective equipment and survival supplies and quarantine procedures could all be major issues during response and mitigation.
Background
Typically, the concept of bioterrorism is not new in the world. The first cases of the terror activities can be locates in the 600 BC when Ukraine, Leaguer of Kaffa, the Tartars, and the Feodosiya attacked the Kaffain in the 14th century with the aim of spreading a disease. they tossed dead and dying individuals in the city to infect other. During the period, there was the pollution of waters by throwing of dead animals into the water channels. The consumption of the infected water by the Asstrian enemies redulted in menta confusion, hallucinatins, and even deaths. the pandemic was known as the black death. it extended into Europe and part of North Africa due to the migration of people hence causing the death of many. More tha 25 million European are said to have died as a result of the pandemic.
During the world War 1, Germans together with the United States too create a biological weapon which they wanted to use in contaminiating the anuimal folders. The British army also used the infected blankets to spread small pox among the Indians who lived in Ohio River Valley. During the cold war, the Solviet Union and the United States came up with arsenaks if biologival agents thatbthey used during the war. during the Sino-Japanese wae between 1930 and 1940s, Japanese used a plague as a biological weap[on. A bomb, which was filed with leas infected with te pague was dropped in thechhinese cities. They also used the shigela and cholera as weapon in other major attacks. In 1984, the cult of pseudo-Buddhist Rajneeshee distributed Salmonella in Oregon restaurants and glocery stores. The posisoinng was used as a way to seize the control of civil and the local leaders in the country. Letters that were sent to the news anchor, senator, and other leaders in the Unted States containing the Anthrax spores led to the death of a few people while others were hospitalized for the same reason. The post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) vaccine was used to protect iincividuals who were exposed to the disease. Among the possible biological weapons include brucellosis, viral hemorrhagic fevers, monkey pox, viral hemorrhagic fevers, staphylococcal enterotoxin B, small pox, anthrax, tularemis, cholera, plagues, and arboviral encephalitides.
Preparation for Biological Attacks
In 2001, several simulations were conducted in the United States with the aim of determining the preparedness of America as a country and establishingbte appropriate mentods to promote preparedness among the healthcare practitioners. These simulations were conducted by US agencies in lallaboration with the academic groups using the smallpox as the wea[on. The study established that the vaccine in the various facilities had serious weaknesses that cpould affect it ability to respond to the illness in case it arose. One of the step they tool was to ensure the availability of enough small pox vaccination, which occurred to be in shortage back then. Other factors that were identified as major barriers to fight against the bolterrorism is the conflict between the political leaderhips. The federal and the state governments had issues agreeing on the priority concerming resource management, lack of facilities tocare for mass populations, and lackof trust between the citizens and government. The response of the Anthrax victims towards taking the vaccine illustrated that people were afraid of side effects caused by the vaccine. The extent of mistrust among the infected people may have been te majorreason for the spread of the infectious disease.
Another major challenge is in the ability of the healthcare practitioners to detect an agent once it is released to the public. For efficient preparedness, healthxcare professinals should have the ability to easillly detect, protect, and eventuaklly decontaminate the biological agents within the shortest time. In case of an attack weith the low detection caoability, many people are likeuy to be affected withinthe shortest time thuis resulting to chaos in the healthcare system. For that reason, there the US Cebnters for Disease (CDC) in collaboration with the government agencies have implemented the “Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Program” to help the healthcare practitioners to develop familiarity with the biologica war agents. The aim of the program was to develop the ability to detect and make the appropriate response to the possible bioterrorism attacks.
Early detection or the agents is the key principle in minimizing the effect, initiating the suitable therapy, and preparing for the necessary resources. However, this is always made difficult due to the similarity in symproms tom the common diseases seen in the facilities in everyday operations. The nonspecific signs make it difficult for any practitioner to identify the infection immediately it strikes hence consudng it for a different illness. For instance, in the case of the covid 19 pandemic, the signs and symptoms are cose to those that people ecperience when suffering from a common cold and pneumonia attacks. These include fever, shortage of breath, running nose, chest paun, and coughing. These symptoms may be easily confused leading to the spread of the disease which happens when people come into contact with patients of the disease. Also, the pademics may also be ccovert thus hindering the response of the practitioner. Often, these attacks take place in silence during the incubation period when one cannot identify the disease using the symptoms.
Shortage of the healthcare practitioners is another issue of concern in the preparedness on the fight against bioterrorism. There are fewer medical parcatitioners as well as medical facilities to provide medical sservoces to the public. The mass breakout of any disease would result to overwhelming of the healthcare system with some lacking the necessary attention. Besides, not all practitioner are equipped with knowledge on infectious diseases. Therefore, lack of adequate information can lower the ability of the practitoners to deliver the necessary services. inadequency of the protective equipment has led to the exposure of the medical practitooners to the disease.
lack of proper medication is one of the greatest limitation in the fight against the bioterrorism attacks. Today, the wwhole world is fighting againt Covid 19 infection that seem to spread so fast. However, the fight has even been tougher considering that there os no specific medication abvailsble for practitioners to treat their patients. despite the continued effors and contribution of scientists worldwide, there has not been a development of a medication. People in the United States and other parts of the world constinue losing people to the deadly viral diseases.
There is a need for effective and ccurate technology which can help in detectingthe presence of the eagents precisesly and without complications. QAdditionally, thesetechnologies need to have the ability to detect in low concentration and in different matrices, the portability of the technological tool is essential. The effectiveness and ease of use are also essential factors to consider when obtaining the necessary technology.
Considerations
Essentially, the responsibility of the public health system during a bioterrorism is providing the public with accurate information to the healthcare providers to help them respond appropriately. Public health is also responsible for providing the citizens with the accurate state if the pandemic together with the available protective measures. Besides, surveillance and contact tracing, provision of the medicine and vaccinations, obtaining the lab specimens, as well as maintaining clean water, air, and food. It is also the responsibility of the government to ensure the availability of the human resource in te form of health practitioners to help the infected people to manage the disease.
Some of the essential considerations towards enhancing prepended towards the bioterrorism attacks is providing adequate education and training among the frontline health practioners together eith first respondents. One of the major reason for easy spread of infectious diseases that might be used as weapon is lack od knowledge on the signs, the preventive measures, and even treatment strategies. In this case, it is essential to ensure that practitioners are informed on the various bioterrorism agents, and how to respond in case of they happen. It is obvious that each agent causes different effects on people. Lab knowledge is essential among the healthcare practitioners to help differentiate the presence of the bioterrorism agents attacks from the normal diseases. This help in saving time needed to detect, prevent and even treat the disease. Adequate knowledge and training cab ease the response hence minimizing the effect and the spread of the disease to a large population.
Public education can facilitate awareness on the disease, the prevention measures, and even the best response before reaching the doctor. Public education on the bioterrorism agents and the effects can also help promote excellent relationship with the practitioners thus mending the mistrust that may prevent them from working together.
A rapid triage and treatment system between the emergency tools, hospitals, laboratories, and the departments of public health should be promoted. The various health sectors should work in collaboration to help curb the disease. Besides adequate training, the availability of efficient and up-to-date medical tools and equipment is essential for appropriate response. Health practitioners need to be trained on the use of different technologies that can easily and fast identify the diseases. Preparedness requires the availability of drugs and medications. In this case, the government should ensure readily availability of the medication which is easily accessible to the practitioners in case of the pandemics.
Conclusion
Preparedness is the best approach that nations can take as a defense against the bioterrorism attacks. Research indicate that the attempt to use biological attacks during the first and second world war led to loss of many deaths. One of the reasons for the effects was lack of preparedness and lack of adequate knowledge on the agents. For instance, in the case of Anthrax, there was a shortage of medication and the vaccine. Besides, people were afraid of the vaccine’s side effects thus RESULTING IN REJECTION OF THE TREATYMENTS. Adequate knowledge and training on the biological agents as well as the response measures can help in preparedness. Both the public and the healthcare practitioners should be educated to mend the distrust between them.