Biological warfare Essays

Biological warfare has been used “…since the onset of human civilization…” (Kostadinov and Galabova, 2010, p. 295). If populations were able to use biological agents back then, it is naïve to think that terrorists will not use them as a weapon of mass destruction. The 2001 Anthrax attacks were the first Anthrax attacks to occur in the U.S. in 25 years (NPR.Org, 2011, p. 2). This attack proves that biological warfare will always be a risk. This is not to say that terrorists are not able to build

tactics and weapon were not sufficient, they often resorted to unconventional tactics and moves such as food poisoning, water poisoning, throwing infected dead bodies and animal carcasses into the walls of the besieged town, the kind of medieval biological warfare. In the medieval period, most of the towns were fortified, surrounded by tick and high walls. It was very difficult, sometimes even with a siege machines to enter into such a fortified town. However, most of these towns supplied with a fresh

Imagine a world where instead of having warfare where soldiers are constantly risking their lives, the government could send in drones that would infect the enemy with uncontrollable diseases that they are unable to cure. This strategy is Bioterrorism. Bioterrorism is the usage or intentional release of biological agents such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Bioterrorism will be effective in the next thirty years for three reasons. Bioterrorism previous uses around the world, the advancements in

6. How does biowarfare affect the victims? Biological weapons are designed to spread disease and plague, and the use of viral biological agents as weapons caused much infection and death. Each specific virus has its specific side effects, but one common disease used as a biological weapon is anthrax, which also has specific symptoms. When anthrax makes contact with skin, spores enter the body and produce toxins, which later causes sores, fever, fatigue, headache, and scarring. When anthrax is inhaled

Dr. Steven M. Block believes that with an every changing society the threat of biological warfare is greater now than ever before and that has begun to threaten our peace. During this article, he takes us through the history, recent trends, and how we might contain and control the ever-rising numbers of biological weapons. In his article, “The Growing Threat of Biological Weapons” found in The American Scientist, Dr. Block states “The terrorist threat is very real, and it’s about to get worse. Scientists

disease among humans, animals and plants. Terrorism is the unlawful use of force or violence against person, animals or property to intimidate or coerce a government or civilian population to gain political or social objectives (CDC, 2013). The use of biological agents to cause harm or death is not a new concept; countries have been engaging in bioterrorism for hundreds of years. Bioterrorism dates back to the 14th century, when cadavers were dropped into enemy wells to poison the drinking water. Similarly

In attempts to affect the largest groups possible in public spaces, the usage of bioweapons is constantly pushing new uses of technology and extraneous substances to receive the most devastating effects. In Alexander Ioffe’s article “Biological and Chemical Weapons,” it can be seen that anthrax is typically mixed with silicon to help disperse the powder more in airborne attacks. Adding silicon helps to make the bioweapon more reactive and volatile. Anthrax is a bacterial endospore, making

In the film Silver Linings Playbook, Pat Junior was placed into a psychiatric institution due to beating up the man his ex-wife, Nikki, was cheating on Pat Junior with. After he has been there for the required court mandated eight months, his mother discharges Pat from the psychiatric institution against medical advice. While there, it is found that Pat Junior has bi-polar disorder and dislikes taking his medication since he claims it makes his mind foggy. When he returns home, there are a series

If I held a utilitarianism belief I would be looking at maximizing happiness (Sandel, 2009). Jeremy Bentham states we are governed by our feelings of pleasure and pain. The utilitarian approach uses this for the basis of maximizing the pleasure of the community as a whole. Sometimes individual rights can be sacrificed to save the happiness in the majority of the community. According to the Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy, the utilitarian view would seek to maximize the overall good. They

Richard Preston, author of The Hot Zone, narrates a “terrifyingly true story” about the menacing Ebola outbreak of 1976. Ebola is named after the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in West Africa, and when Preston’s book was published people would base their knowledge about Ebola upon the information introduced in his book. Although he researches his topics thoroughly, Preston’s inaccurate descriptions, exaggerations of the virus, and the unnecessary characterization of his characters

Most importantly, this unfortunate event showed how the first significant biological attack on a U.S. community was not carried out by foreign terrorists , but by legal residents of a U.S. community. This in turn helped increase knowledge on how to be prepared and how to deal with such an event. This attack also helped increase

What ever happened to Ebola? In 1974, Peter Piot discovered a serious and deadly disease in Africa called Ebola. In 2014, a major outbreak of this disease occurred in West Africa and spread through multiple countries including the United States. Six people in the United States were disease-ridden and only one resulted in death while the other five were treated. Although the impact on our country was little, the media over exaggerates infectious diseases like Ebola. The ways journalists reported about

In the Hot Zone, Richard Preston demonstrates how devastating Ebola and other filoviruses can be to large populations. In the book, Preston describes true events during an outbreak of Ebola virus at a Monkey facility in Reston, Virginia in 1980. He also gives background from other viral outbreaks in Africa in the 1970’s and 1980’s. This book is really scary because it is factual, not fictional. Preston emphasizes the real dangers of Ebola and other filoviruses, but argues that the long lasting

In 2014, four cases of Ebola broke out in the United states and over 900 in North West Africa. Of these four cases, only one was fatal. In The Hot Zone, Preston describes the three main filoviruses: Marburg, Ebola Sudan, and Ebola Zaire. Marburg, is often referred to as the cousin of Ebola and is not as fatal as the Ebola virus. Of the two different Ebola strains, Ebola Zaire (named after its origin) is known as the most deadly of all the viruses with an eighty percent fatality rate, and is twice

Ebola Virus The Hot Zone was written by Richard Preston. The book is about how the Ebola virus started and where it came from. It was discovered in Africa. The virus was first called The Marburg Virus. It originated in East Africa from monkeys. The monkeys were very sick, but were being sold to people and the virus was passed to humans. This virus kills 25% of its victims. It causes deaths because it attacks the organs which causes extreme bleeding and blood clots. Charles Monet was the first person

The Hot Zone, written by Richard Preston, is an intriguing, and true, novel about the origins of the Ebola virus. It is a dramatic horror story about a deadly virus, first only found in the dense rain forest of Africa that somehow traveled thousands of miles to Washington, D.C. In only a few days, the virus spread and killed more than 90 percent of its victims. This book keeps you on the edge of your seat, in fear that yet another person will suffer from this terrible, contagious disease. The book

Writer and best-selling author, Richard Preston, in his non-fiction thriller, The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story, tells about the origins and incidents involving major filoviruses, such as Ebola and Marburg. Preston highlights multiple cases of the people who dealt and came with close contact to the viruses, from the possible contraction of Marburg by Monet, to Nurse Mayinga’s case of Ebola Zaire, to the biohazard operation at the Ebola-infested monkey house in Reston. Through this, he influences

Biological or chemical attacks are deliberate releases of germs or any other biological substances that can make a person sick or kill them. Deliberate attacks are not just a United States problem, attacks can happen anywhere on Earth at any time. The CDC’s Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response (OPHPR) deals with the nation’s health security with any threats that may harm the United States and worldwide. Inside the OPHPR there is a department called the Emergency Operations Center (EOC)

The Hot Zone follows the true events of an Ebola outbreak at a monkey facility in Reston, Virginia in the late 1980s. In order to contextualize the danger, Preston provides crucial background information about several other viral outbreaks, particularly in Africa in the 1970s and 1980s. The book begins in Kenya in 1980, where Preston describes the death of Charles Monet due to Marburg virus. He goes into great detail describing the vividly bloody death in order to provide the reader with an immediate

Without smallpox, the world would look very different today. The deadly disease contributed to the colonization of America, the fall of the Aztec Empire, and many more landmark events in history. Even though today we are completely free of the disease, traces of it still exist in high secured laboratories and it is critical that we all know about smallpox. Therefore today, I will explain what it is, what it does in the body, how you get it, who it affects, and more. Without further delay let’s get