Prospect of Biological and Nuclear Terrorism in Central Asia and Russia: Foreign Fighters, the ISIS, Chechens Extremists, Katibat-I-Imam Bukhari ... Movement of Uzbekistan and the Al Nusra Front by Musa Khan Jalalzai

Author:Musa Khan Jalalzai [Jalalzai, Musa Khan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Geopolitics, Political Science, Terrorism
ISBN: 9789389620665
Google: _0-azQEACAAJ
Goodreads: 59111977
Publisher: VIJ BOOKS INDIA
Published: 2020-09-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

The Current State of Bioterrorist Attack

Surveillance and Preparedness in the US

Oliver Grundmann

Abstract:

The use of biological agents as weapons to disrupt established structures, such as governments and especially larger urban populations, has been prevalent throughout history. Following the anthrax letters sent to various government officials in the fall of 2001, the US has been investing in prevention, surveillance, and preparation for a potential bioterrorism attack. Additional funding authorized since 2002 has assisted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Environmental Protection Agency to invest in preventative research measures as well as preparedness programs, such as the Laboratory Response Network, Hospital Preparedness Program, and BioWatch. With both sentinel monitoring systems and epidemiological surveillance programs in place for metropolitan areas, the immediate threat of a large-scale bioterrorist attack may be limited.

However, early detection is a crucial factor to initiate immediate response measures to prevent further spread following dissemination of a biological agent. Especially in rural areas, an interagency approach to train health care workers and raise awareness for the general public remain primary tasks, which is an ongoing challenge. Risk-management approaches in responding to dissemination of biological agents, as well as appropriate decontamination measures that reduce the probability of further contamination, have been provided, and suggest further investments in preparedness and surveillance. Ongoing efforts to improve preparedness and response to a bioterrorist attack are crucial to further reduce morbidity, mortality, and economic impact on public health. Keywords: bioterrorism, public health policy, risk management, community preparedness

Introduction

The past two decades have seen a significant rise in the use of biological agents for purposes of disseminating such substances to harm the public. Although commonly termed “bioterrorism”, the purposes of such attacks are not necessarily intended to intimidate established government structures, but can also be motivated by religious, political, or ecological ideologies.1 Likewise, not all incidents involving actual or threatened dissemination of biological agents should be classified as an act of terrorism, as they can also be committed by criminals not associated with a terrorist organization. From 1990 to 1999, a total of 153 cases of actual or threatened use of biological agents were reported, more than five times the reported cases for the time span from 1900–1989.1 “Threatened use” in this context refers to federal investigations that led to the seizure of biological agents with the intent of being used against civilians within the US, either by radicalized anti-government groups or individuals.

This significant increase in biological agents has been attributed to a rise in terrorist organizations that intentionally seek to inflict mass casualties and utilize intimidation tactics, criminal groups with fringe radical political, religious, or ecological reasons that want to raise awareness of a specific cause, or even governments that in the past have deployed biological agents to intimidate minorities or specific parts of the population either within or outside their territories. Another term that is frequently associated with bioterrorism and biological agents used to cause mass casualties is weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). Despite the

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.