Title: Bioterrorism
1Bioterrorism
- Preparation
- Recognition
- And Response
2Bioterrorism is defined by the Centers For
Disease Control as the deliberate release of
infectious agents with the intent to cause
disease or Death in animals people or plants. 1
3First Reference to Bioterrorism?
- The old testament with the plague of god that
kills all of the first-born of Egypt in
retaliation for Pharoh Ramses' threat to kill the
son of Moses
4History of Biological Warfare or Bioterrorism
- We get our English word for poison or toxin
from the Greek word toxikon, which in turn is
derived from the Greek word for arrow, toxon. - Herodotus, a Greek historian of the fifth
century B.C.E. Describes the Scythians archers of
the black sea as employing poison-tipped arrows.
(2).
5Adder Venom, Dung, and Blood Yum Yum
In the 5th century B.C.E., Scythians used the
decomposed bodies of several venomous adders
indigenous to their region, mixed human blood and
dung into sealed vessels and buried this mixture
until it was sufficiently putrefied. This poison
would certainly contain the bacteria of gangrene
and tetanus
6In the 14th Century, the Tartar army used a
combination of psychological warfare and
bio-warfare. The ubiquitous rat and an outbreak
of the bubonic plague among their own troops
worked for the Tartar army besieging Kaffa in
1346. Tartars catapulted bodies of plague victims
over the walls of Kaffa in an attempt to initiate
an epidemic upon the residents. 2
7The first recoded "weaponized" biological agent
in North America occurred during the French and
Indian Wars . The agent was smallpox. The method
of delivery was blankets not bombs. Sir Jeffrey
Amherst who was the commander of British forces
in North America formulated a plan to "reduce,"
as he so clinically expressed it, the size of the
Native American tribes that were hostile to the
crown.
8Bioterrorism vs Biological Warfare
9While Germany dabbled with biological weapons in
World War I, the Japanese military practiced
biowarfare on a mass scale in the years leading
up to and throughout World War II. Directed
against China, the onslaught was spearheaded by a
notorious division of the Imperial Army called
Unit 731.
10In occupied Manchuria, starting before WWII,
Japanese scientists used scores of human subjects
to test the lethality of various disease agents,
including anthrax, cholera, typhoid, and plague.
As many as 10,000 people were killed. 5
11In active military campaigns, several hundred
thousand peoplemostly Chinese civiliansfell
victim. In October 1940, the Japanese dropped
paper bags filled with plague-infested fleas and
grain over Chinese cities. Other attacks involved
contaminating wells and distributing poisoned
foods. The Japanese army never succeeded, though,
in producing advanced biological munitions, such
as pathogen-laced bombs. 5
12Soviet Union and the U.S. reached new heights in
the anxious climate of the Cold War. Both nations
explored the use of hundreds of different
bacteria, viruses, and biological toxins
13In 1995 The apocalyptic religious sect Aum
Shinrikyo released sarin gas in a Tokyo subway,
killing 12 commuters and injuring thousands
14This sect also released anthrax and botulinum
toxin, but failed to weaponize them adequately.
15The median inhaled human lethal dose of botulinum
is 3 nanograms. This means that 10 lbs if
evenly distributed, is enough to kill every
person in the world.
16First Anthrax Victim in 2001 Attacks
In early October 2001, just days after Bob
Stevens hiked through North Carolina's Chimney
Rock Park and drank from a waterfall, government
officials were retracing his steps. They were
desperate to know why the 63-year-old man lay
gravely ill in a Florida hospital. His diagnosis
anthrax.6
17Mr. Stevens and several of his co-workers were
exposed to anthrax in a mailed envelope. These
attacks sickened 22 people, killed 5 and resulted
in tens of millions of dollars in decontamination
that included post offices and congressional
office buildings
18and this was the first instance of bioterrorism
in the U.S. Since smallpox infected blankets
were given to American Indians
19Bioterrorism Funding Withers As Death Germs
Thrive In Labs, Nature Article by Lynn Peeples
Huffington Post Reporter on 2-10-12
20Why Big Nations Lose Small Wars
21Asymmetric warfare is war between belligerents
whose relative military power differs
significantly, or whose strategy or tactics
differ significantly
22Before 1950s wartime victory of the strong
over the weak was the general rule,but after that
era that began to change.
23Ring Around the RosyPocketful of PosiesAshes
Ashes We All Fall down
24(No Transcript)
25Ring around the rosy (The feverous face
encircled with pustules)A pocket full of posies
(Flowers placed on the foul smelling
victim)Ashes, ashes (Septic shock that precedes
death, wearing of mourning ashes, or burning of
the corpses of the plague victims?)All fall down
(The victim dies)
261918 to 1919
- Spanish Flu Pandemic. The world population was
1.7 Billion - 1st transatlantic flight was in 1919
27How many deaths were caused by this pandemic??
28- A. 100,000
- B. 500,000
- C 4,000,000
- D 40,000,000
29Citing fears of an unimaginable catastrophe, a
government-appointed board on Tuesday explained
why it recently recommended censoring details of
new research on deadly bird flu virus.
30Our concern is that publishing these
experiments in detail would provide information
to some person, organization, or government that
would help them to develop similar ... viruses
for harmful purposes, the 23 voting members of
the National Science Advisory Board for
Biosecurity wrote in a statement published
jointly Tuesday by the journals Science and
Nature.
31Have we had this level of security since the
Manhattan Project?
32CDC Categories of Biologic Agents
- Category A
- can be easily disseminated or transmitted from
person to person - result in high mortality rates and have the
potential for major public health impact - might cause public panic and social disruption
and - require special action for public health
preparedness.
33Six Agents/DiseasesComprise Category
A-------------------------------------------Anth
rax (Bacillus anthracis)Botulism (Clostridium
botulinum toxin) Plague (Yersinia pestis)
Smallpox (variola major) Tularemia (Francisella
tularensis) Viral hemorrhagic fevers
(filoviruses e.g., Ebola, Marburg and
arenaviruses e.g., Lassa, Machupo)
( can affect dogs and
cats)
34Tularemia is one of the most infectious diseases
known, inhalation of as few as 10 organisms will
cause disease
35NOT tularemia
36Smallpox
37Cutaneous Anthrax
38Category BDefinitionSecond highest priority
agents include those thatare moderately easy to
disseminateresult in moderate morbidity rates
and low mortality rates andrequire specific
enhancements of CDC's diagnostic capacity and
enhanced disease surveillance.
39Brucellosis (Brucella species) Epsilon toxin of
Clostridium perfringensFood safety threats
(e.g., Salmonella species, Escherichia coli
O157H7, Shigella)Glanders (Burkholderia
mallei)Melioidosis (Burkholderia
pseudomallei)Psittacosis (Chlamydia psittaci) Q
fever (Coxiella burnetii) Ricin toxin from
Ricinus communis (castor beans)Staphylococcal
enterotoxin BTyphus fever (Rickettsia
prowazekii)Viral encephalitis (alphaviruses
e.g., Venezuelan equine encephalitis, eastern
equine encephalitis, western equine
encephalitis)Water safety threats (e.g., Vibrio
cholerae, Cryptosporidium parvum)
40We have now reached a point where pathogens can
be genetically engineered and even hybridized
which can yield increased virulence and atypical
presentations
41Prions are pieces of misfolded proteins that are
particularly difficult to destroy. They are very
slow acting and have recently been found to cross
species barriers more readily than believed
42Agroterrorism is a subset of bioterrorism, and
is defined as thedeliberate introduction of an
animal or plant disease with the goal of
generating fear,causing economic losses, and/or
undermining social stability.3
43We are the land of milk and honey, and that makes
us particularly vulnerable to agricultural
terrorism.
44Agroterrorism lacks the shock value of
traditional terrorist targets but the American
agricultural system is uniquely vulnerable.
45Farms are geographically disbursed in unsecured
environments. Livestock are frequently
concentrated in confined locations, and
transported or commingled with other herds.
46Agricultural diseases are relatively easy to
obtain, handle and distribute..
47International trade in food products often is
tied to disease-free status.
48The FMD outbreak in the U.K. was estimated to
cause a 6 billion loss. These impacts exceed
the value of the animalsbecause of the number of
industries affected by the outbreak, ranging from
feedsuppliers to tourism.
49A similar outbreak in the U.S. has been estimated
to cost about 25 billion.It is further
estimated that 25 miles of trench would be
required to shoot and bury the livestock. The
psychological impact on farmers would be
indescribable
50 These impacts exceed the value of the
animalsbecause of the number of industries
affected by the outbreak, ranging from
feedsuppliers to tourism.
51The United States has the lowest spending on food
preparedat home (6.5) compared to the rest of
the world, which ranges from 10-15 formost
developed countries and 30 or higher for some
developing countries.3
52(No Transcript)
53The Department of Homeland Security is proceeding
with plans to replace the aging Plum Island
Animal Disease Center with a new National Bio
and Agro-Defense Facility for research on high
consequence foreign animal diseases. The research
facility is being moved to Manhattan Kansas.
54A WHO simulation of an FMD attack by a terrorist
at a single location. Only after the 5th day of
the attack would the disease be detected, by
which time it may have spread to 23 states. By
the 8th day, 23 million animals may need to be
destroyed in 29 states.
55(No Transcript)
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57(No Transcript)
58Although bioterrorist agents are traditionally
thought of as affecting livestock, they can
affect companion animals and wildlife as well!
59Establishing a working relationship between
WesCART, medical professionals and other
emergency personnel is important to allow open
communicating and coordination in times of crisis
60CDC has a 24/7 Emergency response hotline at
770-488-7100
61 Westchester County Department of Health at (914)
813-5000 Steven Immerblum DVM (914) 262-2572
62NY State Veterinarian Dr. David Smith Office
telephone no (518) 457-3502 fax no (518)
485-7773 e-mail david.Smith_at_agriculture.ny
.Gov
63State Public Health VeterinarianBryan Chery VMD,
PhDNew York State Department of
Health518-473-4439Bxc05_at_health.State.ny.U
64CDC website on Bioterrorism www.bt.cdc.gov/bioterr
orism2. A History of Biological Warfare from
300 B.C.E. to the PresentThomas J.
JohnsonAssociate Professor of Respiratory Care
and Health SciencesDivision Director,
Respiratory Care, School of Health Professions
http//www.aarc.org/resources/biological/history.
asp
653. Agroterrorism Threats and PreparednessUpdated
March 12, 2007Jim MonkeAnalyst in Agricultural
PolicyResources, Science, and Industry
Division4. http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asymmetr
ic_warfare5. http//www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/bioterr
or/hist_nf.html
666. http//www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/10/bi
oterrorism-bioterror-funding-_n_1263903.html?icid
maing-grid107Chtmlws-main-bb7Cdl77Csec1_lnk126
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