Terrorism, or violence used to further political or social agendas, are unfortunately sometimes used, including bioterrorism. While many think that terrorism is confined to the use of guns as weapons to cause violence, the use of bioterrorism proves otherwise.
Definition
Bioterrorism is a type of terrorism that utilizes biological agents and diseases as weapons to intentionally cause harm to individuals on behalf of an individual, or more commonly, a government. The bacteria and viruses used can cause injury and death. The intent is to make those affected, as well as observers in the particular nation, feel as though their government is unable to keep them safe, which can result in a high level of fear. This type of terrorism is particularly dangerous because the materials needed to make the agents are often available, have a low cost to create, and do not require a high level of expertise to produce.
Agent and Disease Categories
In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are tasked with dealing with the health concerns that bioterrorism can bring. The CDC has established three agent and disease categories. Category A includes agents that are easily passed on from one person to another, have high death rates, can result in the public entering a state of panic, and involve abnormal preparation for public health workers. Agents in this category include anthrax, smallpox, and botulism. Category B agents are somewhat easy to pass on to others, have low death rates, and require some adjustments by public health workers. Some agents in this category are typhus fever, salmonella, and E. coli. Category C agents include those agents that could be produced in the future because the materials to create them are readily available and they could have a significant impact on health. Agents in this category include Hantavirus and Nipah virus.
Attacks in the United States
This type of terrorism is not used often. However, a few notable attacks have occurred in the United States. In 2001, letters containing anthrax spores were sent to two members of Congress in Washington, D.C. as well as to multiple news media offices in Florida and New York. Five people were killed and 17 other people were infected. The letters were received a week after the September 11 attacks. The events are thought to be related and share the same motive by the attackers, which was to harm Americans because of their disagreement with many of the political actions of America. In 1984 in the state of Oregon, the produce in grocery stores, doorknobs, and the salad bars in 11 restaurants were infected with salmonella typhimurium bacteria. This resulted in 751 people contracting serious cases of food poisoning, although no one died from this attack. The attack was an attempt to gain control over a local political election.
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Terrorism of all kinds can have disastrous effects. Guns are commonly used as weapons, but many different weapons of warfare exist. The biological agents and diseases used in bioterrorism have the potential to be just as disastrous, if not more so as other types of weapons, due to their ability to reach large numbers of a population combined with their potential for a high death rate.