Bioterrorism
Bioterrorism refers to the use of lethal biological agents to wage terror against a civilian population. It differs from biological warfare in that it also thrives on public fear, which can demoralize a population. An example of bioterrorism is provided by the anthrax outbreak which occurred during September-November 2001 in the United States. Anthrax spores intentionally spread in the mail distribution system caused five deaths and a total of 22 infections. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) classifies bioterror agents into three categories:
- Category A Diseases/Agents that can be easily disseminated or transmitted from person to person and that can result in high mortality rates while causing public panic and social disruption. Anthrax, botulism, plague, smallpox, tularemis, and viral hemorrhagic fever viruses belong to this category.
- Category B Diseases/Agents that are moderately easy to disseminate and that can result in low mortality rates. Brucellosis, food and water safety threats, melioidosis, psittacosis, staphylococcal enterotoxin B, and typhus belong to this category.
- Category C Diseases/Agents that include emerging pathogens that could be engineered for mass dissemination in the future because of availability or ease of production and dissemination and that have potential for high mortality rates.
The anthrax attacks of 2001 were very limited in scope compared to the potential damage that could result from large-scale bioterrorism.
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