Oilh

Biological Weapons: 1. Why are biological weapons the 'poor man's weapon'?

Relatively easy to deploy Low cost International treaties prohibit biological warfare
But that doesn’t mean no one does it!

What is the difference between biological warfare and bioterrorism?
Sanctioned use of biological weapons by nations during war
Bioterrorism

Use of biological weapons by nonstate government groups
Cults, militants, individuals

3. Is biological warfare a new idea? Know examples of biological warfare in history.

Wars bring large numbers of people close together in difficult living situations
Temporary facilities
Permanent or elaborate sanitation systems are not practical
Prisoners of war, refugees, concentration camps.....
Hospitals are overworked, and the emphasis is on wound treatment, with prevention of disease a secondary concern

1346: Napoleon’s army was defeated by typhus fever spread by lice
Civil War: diseases killed or incapacitated more soldiers than the fighting

4. Which kills more soldiers: weapons or disease? disease
5. What is the Geneva Protocol?

Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use of Asphixiating, Poisonous, or other Gases and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare

6. What are the disadvantages of using bioweapons in war (from the perspective of the ones using the weapon)?

7. When and where did the US begin an offensive biological weapons program?

8. When did Richard Nixon terminate the offensive bioweapons program? And what did he say about it?

“We’ll never use the damn germs...... If someone uses germs on us we’ll nuke ‘em.”

9. What happened at the Biological Weapons Convention in 1972?

Soviets continued their offensive bioweapons program into the 80’s
Iraq
‘86-’91, scientists investigated the potential of a large number of potential bioweapons
UN imposed sanctions, Iraq refused inspections, which led to air strikes and invasion

Ineffective
10. Was the convention effective?no
11. Describe the tragedy in Sverdlovsk. What happened?

April 2, 1979
77 cases of anthrax, and 66 deaths
Sverdlovsk is a city 4 km downwind of a Soviet military microbiology facility
Turns out that anthrax was being developed as a bioweapon, and an air filter was not properly installed one day
Soviets at the time said that the outbreak was due to eating contaminated meat
But most of the cases were inhalation anthrax!

12. Why are bioterrorists scarier than countries with bioweapons?

Harder to detect, harder to control

13. What are the manifestations of anthrax?

Cutaneous: skin lesion, death 20% without antibiotic treatment
Gastrointestinal: rare, death 25-60% of untreated cases
Inhalation: Death 99% in untreated, unvaccinated people
First symptoms like a cold, progresses to severe breathing problems
Death within a few days of symptoms

14. What did Tommy Thompson say about smallpox vaccine?

“We hope our smallpox vaccine stockpile will serve as a deterrent to those who may consider using smallpox as a weapon. We will have the necessary medicine to save and protect every American should there be an outbreak.”