Why biological warfare

The history of biological warfare is a long one, which makes sense; its deployment can be a lo-fi affair, so there is no need for electrical components, nuclear fusion, or rocket grade titanium, for instance. Consuming the tainted water produced a confused mental state, hallucinations, and, in some cases, death. In the s, Tartar Mongol warriors besieged the Crimean city of Kaffa. During the siege, many Tartars died at the hands of plague, and their lifeless, infected bodies were hurled over the city walls.

Some researchers believe that this tactic may have been responsible for the spread of Black Death plague into Europe. If so, this early use of biological warfare caused the eventual deaths of around 25 million Europeans. In an attempt to spread the disease to the locals, the Brits presented blankets from a smallpox hospital as gifts.

Although we now know that this would be a relatively ineffective way to transmit smallpox, the intent was there. During World War II, many of the parties involved looked into biological warfare with great interest.

The Allies built facilities capable of mass producing anthrax spores, brucellosis, and botulism toxins. Thankfully, the war ended before they were used. It was the Japanese who made the most use of biological weapons during World War II, as among other terrifyingly indiscriminate attacks, the Japanese Army Air Force dropped ceramic bombs full of fleas carrying the bubonic plague on Ningbo, China.

The following quote comes from a paper on the history of biological warfare. Friedrich Frischknecht, professor of integrative parasitology, Heidelberg University, Germany. This can be achieved in a number of ways, such as: via aerosol sprays; in explosive devices; via food or water; or absorbed or injected into skin.

Because some pathogens are less robust than others, the type of pathogen used will define how it can be deployed. Utilizing such weapons holds a certain appeal to terrorists; they have the potential to cause great harm, of course, but they are also fairly cheap to produce when compared with missiles or other more hi-tech equipment. Biological weapons can be difficult to control or predict in a battlefield situation, since there is a substantial risk that troops on both sides will be affected.

However, if a terrorist is interested in attacking a distant target as a lone operant, bioterrorism carries much less risk to the person. Experts believe that today, the most likely organism to be used in a bioterrorism attack would be Bacillus anthracis , the bacteria that causes anthrax. It is widely found in nature, easily produced in the laboratory, and survives for a long time in the environment.

Also, it is versatile and can be released in powders, sprays, water, or food. Anthrax has been used before. In , anthrax spores were sent through the United States postal system. In all, 22 people contracted anthrax — five of whom died.

It was not clear how much voluntary funding the United States has provided for WHO programmes in Russian President Vladimir Putin is suddenly seen to be weaker than he has been in years, and economic pain from COVID is one big reason, but not the only one.

About 25 percent of our respondents say their salaries have been cut. But Putin, like U. During his best years, when oil prices were astronomical and revenues were very high indeed, the Russian president was able to provide people with money-and with pride. He was building the armed forces, sending them abroad, overtly or covertly, to Ukraine, Syria, and Africa, and developing very expensive new weapons systems.

Putin seemed able to provide, as economists say, both guns and butter [16,17]. So far, dozens of independent news websites have managed to keep functioning, covering news from all angles.

Where the economy is concerned, the government is quick to point out it has reserves for the state budget, and will meet public sector payrolls. But propping up the economy as a whole is another matter. Last year, even before the pandemic, the Federal State Statistics Service reported Smolensk lies about halfway between Moscow and Minsk, in Belarus. Simply put, unemployed people cannot afford food. From the first weeks of the pandemic shutdowns, Nadezhda Petrusiva and her charity, Mercy, have been overwhelmed with pleas for help from single mothers with several hungry children, people with disabilities, and people who are simply terrified by the pandemic.

They call her center asking for food as early as 5 a. The coronavirus crisis made their situation even more desperate. District clinics monitor every positive patient at home, possibly providing early care that reduces deaths, but experts say that not all statistics are fully transparent.

Last Monday Russia saw a huge spike in infections-it is now second only to the United States in total numbers. And Russian authorities seem to have stumbled in protecting medical workers. Nobody, not even the most skillful propagandists , would be able to hide that fact. So far , people have signed their petition. Probably not.

At least 25 million people in China are under enhanced coronavirus lockdowns after an outbreak of 34 cases in a province next to Russia. China has reimposed lockdown measures on northeastern provinces after clusters of new coronavirus cases emerged. The most recent 34 cases were in the province of Jilin, where its two main cities of Shulan and Jilin City have both been placed under renewed lockdown, according to Channel News Asia.

There are strict controls on transport and public gatherings, and schools have had to re-close, the channel reported [8]. Another three cases have been found in the neighboring province of Liaoning, according to the channel. Jilin borders North Korea and Russia, the latter being one of the worst-affected countries in the world [16,17]. With the borders are sealed to foreigners, officials suspect that the new outbreak can be traced back to Chinese nationals returning from Russia, according to Bloomberg.

Shulan's government announced the lockdown measures over WeChat on Monday, sealing off residential compounds with suspected or confirmed cases. Under this lockdown, one resident from a single family may only leave once for two hours every two days for essential supplies. The sale of anti-fever medicines has also been banned across the province to prevent people from attempting to conceal their symptoms, according to Bloomberg.

Delivery services have also mostly halted, the outlet reported. In neighboring Liaoning, the 8. The reopening of schools has been delayed and 7, residents are under quarantine, according to the channel. The outbreaks in Jilin and Liaoning come nearly a month after a city in another neighboring province, Heilongjiang, saw a spate of new cases. On April 26, the province's government imposed lockdown measures in the nearly 1 million-strong city of Mudanjiang, which borders Russia, according to Deutsche Welle.

In Harbin, the provincial capital, the measures are lighter but local residents are only allowed to move within their own neighborhoods, reported the newspaper. New cases of the virus in China have not exceeded per day since mid-April.

According to Bloomberg, Jilin province has reported no more than since the coronavirus first began to spread. In addition to concerns that biological weapons could be developed or used by States, recent technological advances could increase the likelihood of these weapons being acquired or produced by non-state actors, including individuals or terrorist organizations. For more information about recent scientific and technological advances relevant to the Convention, please click here.

The 20th century saw the use of biological weapons by individuals and groups committing criminal acts or targeted assassinations, biological warfare conducted by States, and the accidental release of pathogens from laboratories. There were also false accusations of biological weapons use, highlighting the difficulty in differentiating between naturally-occurring disease, accidents and deliberate use.

In practice, should a suspicious disease event occur, it would be difficult to determine if it was caused by nature, an accident, sabotage, or an act of biological warfare or terrorism. Consequently, the response to a biological event, whether natural, accidental or deliberate, would involve the coordination of actors from many sectors who together possess the capability to determine the cause and attribute it to a specific source.

Likewise, the preparedness for and prevention of such an event should also involve multi-sectoral coordination.

For more information about preparing for and responding to disease outbreaks and biological weapons attacks, please see the frequently asked questions published by the World Health Organization. Because of the wide spectrum of potential biological hazards, efforts to manage the risks should be multi-disciplinary, multi-sectoral, and above all, coordinated. As such, the BWC relies primarily on a network approach based on coordination with international, regional, and nongovernmental organizations and initiatives in order to address the interconnected nature of biological threats in a holistic manner.