Bio-terrorism: still interesting or concerning nowadays?
Bio-terrorism involves using biological agents/toxins with the intent to intimidate or coerce a government or civilian population to further political or social objectives, usually leading to deaths or illnesses of humans but also of plants/animals. Their use would probably initially be considere...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy Publishing House
2014-12-01
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| Series: | Romanian Journal of Military Medicine |
| Online Access: | http://revistamedicinamilitara.ro/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/2014-34-full.7-12.pdf |
| Summary: | Bio-terrorism involves using biological agents/toxins with the intent to intimidate or
coerce a government or civilian population to further political or social objectives, usually leading
to deaths or illnesses of humans but also of plants/animals.
Their use would probably initially be considered as a natural or unintentional event, especially in
case of live biological agents. Moreover, a natural occurring disease outbreak could have the same
destructive outcome as an efficient biological weapon.
There is a need for proper differentiation between natural and intentional events although in the
first stages the medical response should be similar; however, the course of incident management
would take different paths later on.
Biological agents’ investigation of dangerous pathogens, from natural unusual outbreaks or bioterrorist
attacks/other intentional use, imply the collaboration of different institutions with
responsibilities in public health but also in national security and defense. The National Security and
the Defense System institutions think mainly in security terms while national health care system
institutions think principally` in medical care/prevention terms. These two ways of acting have to
be combined in order to deal properly with hazardous biological agents. |
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| ISSN: | 1222-5126 2501-2312 |