Biological Warfare
-Harsh Prajapati
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Biological and toxin weapons are either microorganisms like virus, bacteria or fungi, or toxic substances produced by living organisms that are manufactured and released deliberately to cause diseases and deaths in humans, animals or plants.
Biological agents like Anthrax, Botulinum Toxin and Plague pose a difficult public health challenge causing a large number of deaths in a very short span. Epidemics can be caused by biological agents that are capable of secondary transmission. An attack involving a biological agent can easily mimic a natural calamity, which can complicate the public health assessment and response. High-threat diseases laboratory can be targeted in times of war and conflict, which could have severe effects on the public health.
The larger category of weapons known as "unconventional weapons" or "weapons of mass destruction," which also includes chemical, nuclear, and radioactive weapons, includes biological weapons as a subtype. The employment of biological weapons raises severe concerns, and there is an increased chance that such weapons may be used in terrorist acts.
The following is a list of some of the countries commonly cited by experts as having probable or known involvement in chemical and/or biological weapons. However, many other countries are suspected of having such programs.
U.S. of A.
U.S. of A.
The United States has released statements claiming that it does not maintain a stockpile of biological weapons although it does pursue defensive biological research. It has what it is believed to be the world's second largest stockpile of chemical weapons.
Iraq
Iraq
Iraq has acknowledged claims that it possessed missiles tipped with biological weapons during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. After the war, the U.N. Security Council established a special commission, UNSCOM, to oversee the destruction of Iraq's stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, which some experts believe include mustard gas and sarin among other lethal agents.The size and reach of Iraq's current chemical and biological weapons programme are unknown as UNSCOM is no longer active there.
Russia
Russia
In the last decade, Russia has made a commitment to end its production of chemical and biological weapons and eliminating its allegedly largest-ever stockpile of such weapons. There are concerns that experts who once worked on the Soviet Union's chemical and biological weapons programme may sell equipment or expertise to other nations as a result of the disintegration of the Soviet Union and Russia's economic turmoil.
China
China
China has confirmed the existence of facilities and prior chemical weapons manufacture, but not a stockpile. Despite claims to the contrary from some international intelligence sources, it disputes the existence of a biological weapons programme.
North Korea
North Korea
North Korea is suspected of possessing a large stockpile of biological and chemical weapons. The program is run by the country's Nuclear-Chemical Defense Bureau, established in 1981.
Response of WHO
Response of WHO
WHO focuses on the possible public health consequences of an incident due to a biological agent, regardless of whether it is characterized as a deliberate act or a naturally occurring event. When a Member State is concerned about biological agents and wants to be better prepared, WHO advises strengthening public health surveillance and response activities, with an emphasis on:
More effective national surveillance of outbreaks of illness, including alert and response systems at all levels that can detect diseases that may be deliberately caused;
Improved biosafety and biosecurity throughout the health sector;
Better communication between multiple sectors, including public health, animal health, water supply, food safety, poison control, civil protection, law enforcement, and security services;
Improved assessments of vulnerability, and effective communication about risks and threats to both professionals and the public;
Preparation for handling the psychosocial consequences of the deliberate use of pathogens to cause harm; and
Contingency plans for an enhanced response capacity by all sectors.
WHO’s global alert and response activities and the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) represent a major pillar of global health security aimed at the detection, verification and containment of epidemics. In the event of the intentional release of a biological agent, these activities would be vital to effective international containment efforts.
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