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Acknowledgements

Bioterrorism: What is it and how can we prevent it?

Bioterrorism is the use of biological warfare with the intention of generating fear and/or intimidation in societies or governments for the pursuit of political, ideological, or religious goals (Taylor 3).

Biological warfare, the use of micro-organisms to produce disease or death in animals and/or plants, is not a recent technology. In fact, this weapon was used in ancient times. In the second century B.C.E., Hannibal infested enemies' ships with poisonous snakes during naval battles. (Taylor 3). A more common technique was throwing diseased cadavers into water supplies to cause widespread sickness. Perhaps the most famous example of biological warfare occurred in 18th century America, when British and Americans deliberately infected Native American tribes with diseases such as smallpox.

Not surprisingly, the threat of biological warfare still exists today. What is surprising is that it is being used as a form of terrorism.

Historically, invading people used biological warfare to weaken nations and gain control of their territories. Mass murder and territory acquisition are not goals of terrorism. Rather, terrorists aim to instill and propagate fear in societies to change their beliefs or loyalties. Murder is only an alternate technique to achieve these goals; it is not necessarily used by terrorists. That is, terrorists 'win' if the targeted people change their lifestyles as a result of fear, regardless of whether anybody dies.

Unfortunately, people did die in the bioterrorist attacks on America in October and November of 2001. As a result of contact with anthrax spores that were sent through the mail, five individuals were killed by inhalation anthrax, and seven more were infected with the cutaneous form of the disease ("War on Terror"). For wartime, this number of injured individuals is extremely low. However, the American response to this attack was extreme. Many people refused to open their mail. Upon seeing white powders in public places, people called poison centers and bomb squads. Fear spread through the country.

Along with these bioterrorist attacks, the airplane-bombings of September 11, 2001 encouraged America to declare an International War Against Terrorism. In his November 9 address to the nation, President Bush advised people to remain calm. He urged Americans to "refuse to live in a state of panic or a state of denial," and to recognise the "difference between being alert and being intimidated" (Gerstenzang)

The anthrax attacks caused widespread panic because Americans were caught off guard. The only way to prevent alarm in situations of bioterrorist attack is to be prepared. Because biological organisms are the weapon of bioterrorism, we can turn to modern medicine to find preventative measures. The most effective form of preventative medicine is vaccination.

As one of our most powerful medical technologies, immunization through vaccination may be the answer to adequate preparation for bioterrorist attack. However, there are complex issues involved in the use of vaccination. The following pages examine vaccines with regard to their history, function, problems, and applications to bioterrorism.

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	Joslyn Tobin Bennett Grinnell College December 2001