Biological warfare, or germ warfare, is the use of harmful microorganisms by military or terrorist factions against civilians, opposing militaries, crops, or animals. It was banned by an international treaty in 1975, but defense against bioterrorism is still a concern. Anthrax is a common biological weapon due to its ability to spread quickly over a large area. Other agents include cholera, smallpox, and yellow fever. Defense against biological attacks requires quick identification of the germ or toxin. Biological weapons are often considered types of chemical warfare.
Biological warfare, also known as germ warfare, is the use of harmful microorganisms such as viruses or bacteria by military or terrorist factions against civilians, opposing militaries, crops or animals. The organisms used may function by producing noxious poisons or toxins before or after shipment. It may not be necessary to release a large amount of a biological weapon, as some types of deadly agents have the potential to kill as many as millions by releasing only trace amounts.
Biological warfare can be used in many different ways by military equipment or other people with malicious intent. The most common perception of the use of biological agents is that they are intended to kill massive numbers of soldiers and civilians, but there are many ways they could be used. Less harmful germs could be distributed among enemy soldiers to make them too sick to fight. Another effective use of microorganisms is to use them to kill or damage an enemy’s food crops for the purpose of disrupting their food supplies, and this can include livestock and major plant-based staple foods.
In 1969 in the United States, former US President Richard M. Nixon declared that the country would no longer use biological warfare against other countries. This type of combat was banned by an international treaty in 1975 and also includes the possession and production of biological weapons. However, military strategists still have, to this day, to factor in the enemy’s possible illegal use of biological warfare. For this reason, throughout the scientific world there is constant research dedicated to defense against a multitude of biological attack scenarios. These include terrorist attacks, also known as bioterrorism, which could potentially occur anywhere at any time.
For a biological weapon to be effective, it must be able to travel quickly and over a large area. It must also be difficult to fix. For example, if it is a disease, the vaccine must be hard to find or non-existent. Anthrax is a type of biological warfare that, if manufactured correctly, could spread by air over a large area and infect the target rather quickly. Because the effects of anthrax are not transferred between people or animals by normal means such as breathing, anthrax can be easily confined to a target area. However, this area has the potential to be very large and will remain contaminated long after the weapon has been released due to the increased strength of a contaminant that was specifically manufactured as a biological weapon.
Other agents that have been used or engineered as biological warfare against people include cholera, smallpox, and yellow fever, to name a few. Because there are so many varieties, those involved in defending against biological attacks must be prepared to identify the type of germ or toxin as quickly as possible through a variety of methods. The toxins and poisons produced by biological weapons are also often considered types of chemical warfare. There is a good deal of research being done simultaneously in both the fields of biological and chemical warfare since they can be so closely related.
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