Bioterrorism and Biodefense: The Threat and the Response

A bioterrorism attack is the deliberate release of viruses, bacteria or other germs to cause illness or death.

The agents

• Many are found in nature, but they can sometimes be made more harmful — better at causing disease, spreading, or resisting medical treatment.
• They spread through the air, water or food, and some from person to person.
• They can be very hard to detect, and they don't cause illness for several hours or days.

Scientists worry that these could be used as biological agents:

• anthrax;
• botulism;
• Ebola and other hemorrhagic fever viruses;
• plague;
• smallpox.

Biodefense

Biodefense uses medical measures to protect people against bioterrorism: medicines and vaccinations, together with medical research and preparations to defend against attacks.

Sources

• "Biodefense and Bioterrorism," MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, drawing on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://medlineplus.gov/biodefenseandbioterrorism.html
• Rewritten in hubnx's own words.