The Thread of Biological Weapons - Research Paper Example

 THE THREAT OF BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS DURING THE DRNC Introduction Weapons of mass destruction pose dangers in any nation the world over. The term “Weapons of Mass Destruction” is a generic term that is used to explain a variety of weapons that contain two salient but diabolic and catastrophic features: There potential to inflict large-scale destruction, and, the indiscriminate nature associated with their effects on civilians. Apart from the three major types of WMD namely: nuclear weapons, chemical warfare agents, and biological warfare agents; missile technology and delivery systems, aircraft and ballistic missiles are also included. While it is a known fact that killing of humans beings to be an expected outcome of any warfare activity, Weapons of Mass Destruction(WMD) pose catastrophic and unprecedented challenges to overall peace and security in a nation. Alarmingly, the past years has seen a rush in the building and stock-pilling of various arsenals of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons in addition to the materials used to produce them in a number of nations. It remains to be seen the commitment by these nations, to officially eliminate all stockpiles of chemical and offensive biological weapons and the dangers that they pose for the well being of every one the world over. These stockpiles of WMD not only pose dangers, but they also create and encourage avenues of proliferation of WMD and associated technologies to countries, illegal groupings and terrorist networks through clandestine means and black-market trades weapons and technologies (Cordesman,2009). Increasingly, fears keep growing not only in the United States but the world over, following terrorist deployed the biological warfare agent anthrax in the U.S. mail in 2001.Furthermore,the U.S. have evidences of the seizure by her troops in Afghanistan of Al Qaeda’s interest in acquiring materials of nuclear dimension. Terrorists’ attack using WMD have led to growing concerns of a nuclear detonation anytime, especially on specific targeted sites in the U.S. Terrorist activities have increased with movements of materials and technologies across the borders. Therefore preventing WMD falling into the wrong hands of terrorists is the paramount priority of this administration. The key Issue Associated with Potential Biological WMD Biological weapons are manufactured using lethal bacteria, viruses, and/or toxins. These weapons are characterized by the fact that they are hard to control, and once unleashed, spread very quickly with the ability of covering swathes of land and profoundly cause epidemics of epic proportions in human populations. Biological weapons are highly dangerous and can inflict wanton damage and death on the people who get into contact with the released agents. Growing concerns exist about the use of biological weapons by terrorists and this is further aggravated by the growth and advances of biomedical and biotechnological fields. Terrorists are becoming more sophisticated in deploying these technologies to disperse dangerous biological agents in their diabolical acts of cross border terrorism. Moreover, these deadly pathogens have the ability to be delivered in a variety of ways ranging form intentional poisoning of food through salmonella, to aerosol dispersal of strains of highly infectious genetically engineered diseases such as smallpox. Because of human vulnerabilities, intentional spread of diseases can cause unimaginable suffering and death especially on a wide scale. A successful Biological weapon attack could cause thousand and even millions of deaths thus potentially causing a disruption to society and negatively affecting the economy (McCuen, 1999). There is a great diversity of potentially harmful biological agents which causes an enormous security challenge. It is estimated that more than 30,000 species of bacteria and 5000 kind of viruses can adversely affect humans. Thus, societies for centuries have struggled to find ways of preventing and controlling outbreaks through vaccinations against polio. smallpox and other virulent diseases. Hygiene was therefore employed as a tool of preventing the spread of infectious diseases. Characteristics of Biological Weapons In biological weaponry, disease is the likely consideration, and this is based on their lethality and strength of their shelf-life. They are normally delivered in aerosol form. Biological weapons are highly infectious and possess great potency. Biological weapons can either be in powder or liquid forms. As an agent in liquid form, they are easier to make and produce. However, the dry form can be stored and stay longer besides dispersing more widely when deployed. The salient feature of biological weapon attack is that the effects take long before they manifest and become apparent. The incubation period of the biological agent ranges from les than 24 hours to weeks, thus, they can be used strategically by terrorists to launch attacks (Office of technology assessment Washington dc.1993). Liquid biological weapon can be made by obtaining a seed culture or sample of microorganism. The microorganism is then cultured in a concentrated environment until it is strong enough to make a weapon. Certain ingredients are then added to stabilize the culture. In the formulation of a dry weapon, the liquid culture is dried out and then ground up to microscopic particles. For toxin weapons, required toxins are first obtained from plant or animal culture and then concentrated. Guidelines for Crime Scene Investigations and Personnel Response to Biological Weapon Attack Although the United States has increased Bio defense funding, more initiatives need to put into place in Bio safety responses. Security levels also need to be upgraded in the manner of handling an aftermath of biological weapon attack because of the highly dangerous nature of the bio agents that may be involved. First and foremost, a comprehensive laboratory safety laws must be put in place that defines the urgency of disaster response and creates stringent measure that are aimed at curtailing further dispersal of harmful agents through and/or the personnel responding to the attack. These should include laboratories in universities, hospitals, non-governmental institutions and any health care-providers within the vicinity that may be called upon for assistance in scaling down the spread of diseases from attack. Adequate training and education in bio safety and bio security should be expanded to reinforce ethical norms as a tool to combat the spread. This should include the general populace and not limited to the personnel. When disease spreads in the even of outbreak, quick response in identifying and alerting the population and authorities is imperative. This includes strategies for combating the risks, responding to the unexpected for example epidemic, assessment of humanitarian impact and improving the general level of preparedness. Strengthening mechanisms that can be used in identifying and reporting outbreaks of diseases whether occurring naturally or otherwise Putting on red-alert the institutions of health care from now on until further notice and sufficiently equipping them with enough facilities for emergency response such as enough gas masks and appropriate doses of vaccinations. Establishing quick and reliable reporting mechanisms to enhance the efforts to detect diagnose treat and control disease outbreak with minimum loss of life. Put the relevant public health authorities on alert and prepared to act quickly to avert further spread of outbreaks. Conclusion Biological Weapons of Mass Destruction pose a daunting challenge to our security especially in view of the DRNC special event. Because of the potential and catastrophic consequences caused by the threat, the Crime Scene Investigations Workgroup was mandated by the Investigations Bureau of the Miami-Date Police Department to come up with ways to identify the key issues associated with a potential biological WMD agent. As the chairperson of the Workgroup, I hope that our findings will help in understanding, anticipating, controlling and initiating a proper response in the event of an attack with BW. Reference McCuen, G. E. (1999). Biological terrorism & weapons of mass destruction. Hudson, Wis: G.E. McCuen Publications Cordesman, A. H., & Seitz, A. C. (2009). Iranian weapons of mass destruction: The birth of a regional nuclear arms race?. Santa Barbara: Praeger Security International. Office of technology assessment washington dc. (1993). Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction: Assessing and Risks. United States: Office of technology assessment washington dc Read More