The Shocking Reality of Bioterrorism: Understanding, Preparedness, and Response

over 1 year ago

The first time I got to know the actual meaning of Bio-terrorism, I was terrified, and even worried too, because I wondered why anyone would intentionally want to large a number of people. Anyways, there are shocking revelations about bioterrorism, and we are going to unveil some of them through this writing.

Bioterrorism is when there is an intentional release of biological toxins or agents, these agents are released to majorly harm or kill animals, plants, or even humans. Whenever there is a threat of biological warfare, it appears remote to most developing and industrialized nations and is used by extremists as a weapon against civilian populations.

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The agents of Bioterrorism are classified into three, namely; A, B, and C.

Category A: Is a high-priority agent that stands as a serious risk to national security, This is because they can disseminated easily or can be transmitted from one person to another, leading to a high rate of mortality, and there is also a potential that there will be a major impact on public health. When this happens, there will be a situation of social disruption, and public panic, and this situation may require very strong special action from public health for adequate preparedness.

Category B: This second category is moderately easy to disseminate, leading to a moderate rate of morbidity, and low mortality rates. This category also requires specific enhancement of diagnostic capacity and enhanced disease surveillance.

Category C: This third category entails the highest priority agents, it also includes emerging pathogens that can be engineered for future mass dissemination. This is a result of the ease of production, availability, dissemination, and a strong potential for high morbidity and mortality rates.

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The target populations of bioterrorism are big cities, metropolitan cities, and districts with international borders. However, this does not mean, any part of the city or country can be considered non-vulnerable.

The attack mechanism will come off based on the type of agents used. If it is a closed, or confined area with a large number of persons, the aerosol mechanism would be used, in other cases, water and food contamination with toxins and pathogens is another used measure. Another mode of attack is the intentional infiltration of infected animals, vectors, or pests.

The fear of bioterrorism is actually real, there is a fear of terrorists using biological weapons against us, if this happens, the consequences will be so great, and an effective and quick response is required. The best form of defense against bioterrorism is the establishment of a strong public health system.

For the fear of its occurrence, there are always questions as to how to stay prepared. Making major plans to stay in touch with family members after the end of a disaster is a plan to be made beforehand, also getting some items that may be useful in the case of an emergency always in your home and in your car, is also a good means of preparedness.

The first way to identify the presence of bio-hazard exposure is when there is a noticed symptom of the disease caused by exposure to a virus, toxin, or bacteria.

What should be done when it happens;
If you are in an area and you notice a suspicious substance, it would be smart to get away from the environment as quickly as possible.

There may be an urgent need for quarantine.

Have your mouth and nose covered with a layer of fabric, the type of fabric that can filter the air but can still give you room to breathe.

Avoid areas of crowds as much as possible.

Depending on the situation at hand, the use of a face mask to reduce the inhaling or spreading of germs will help.

Frequently wash your hands with soap and water.

Putting on clean clothes all the time is also very important.

Wash yourself appropriately with soap and water.

The majority of the preparation depends largely on the government and health agencies, because when bioterrorism happens, it isn't just targeted at a person or at a family, it is rather targeted at an entire city, country, and sometimes even the world at large.