BiologicalWarfareSpeechThing

1. Biologicalwarfare
(BW)alsoknownas
germwarfare
istheuseof

biological
toxinsorinfectiousagentssuchasbacteria,viruses,andfungiwith
theintenttokillorincapacitatehumans,animalsorplantsasanactofwar.
ExamplesincludeusingsarinnervegasinSyria,anthraxattacksuniversallyand
otherweaponizedformsofanyinfectiousagents.WhiletheGenevaActof1971
hasoutlawedallmassproduction,stockpilingandusageofbiologicalweapons,
therearespeculatedstoressaidtoexistinmanytumultuousanddeveloped
nations.Asaformofwarfare,thiscametotheforefront,whensenatorsinthe
UnitedStatesCongressweresentanthraxspores,thatcausedsomedeaths.
2. The4mainbiologicalagentsusedinpropagatingbiologicalweapons,are
bacteria,fungi,parasitesandviruses.
Theadvantageofusingbacteriaisthatitiseasytogrow,andcandevelopresistanceto
antibiotics.Examplesincludebotulismandcholera.

Theadvantageofusingvirusesisthattheyareresilientandcanundergoantigenicshift
andantigenicdrift,whicharemutationsthatrandomlyoccur,orarecausedbyexternal
factors,andcanbelongtermorimmediate.Examplesaresmallpoxandinfluenza

Theadvantageofusingfungi,isthattheyreleasespores,whichcansurviveforupto20
yearsinthesoil,andcantheninfecthosts.Itisalsomorelethalwhenitentersthebody.
Examplesincludemycotoxinproducingfungi

Parasitesarenotreallyusedasbiologicalweapons.

Anthrax
isan
acute
diseasecausedbythebacterium
Bacillusanthracis
.Mostformsofthe
diseasearelethal,anditaffectsmostlyanimals.Animalscantransmitthediseasetohumans,
buthumanscannotspreadthediseasebetweeneachother.Effectivevaccinesagainst
anthraxareavailable,andsomeformsofthediseaserespondwelltoantibiotictreatment.
Anthraxdoesnotspreaddirectlyfromoneinfectedanimalorpersontoanotheritisspreadby
spores.Thesesporescanbetransportedbyclothingorshoes.Thebodyofananimalthat
hadactiveanthraxatthetimeofdeathcanalsobeasourceofanthraxspores.Owingtothe
hardinessofanthraxspores,andtheireaseofproduction
invitro
,theyareextraordinarilywell
suitedtouse(inpowderedandaerosolform)as
biologicalweapons
.Suchweaponizationhas
beenaccomplishedinthepastbyatleastfivestatebioweaponsprogramsthoseofthe

UnitedKingdom
,
Japan
,the
UnitedStates
,
Russia
,and
Iraq
andhasbeenattemptedby
[3]
severalothers.

Thethreetypesofanthrax,arecutaneous,pulmonaryandgastrointestinal.Thesecauseskin
lesions,respiratorycollapseanddigestivesystemfailurerespectively.Themortalityrate
rangesanywherebetween15and60%
Smallpoxisaviraldiseasethatisfastspreadingandhasahighmortalityrate.Itcauses
painfulpustulesontheskinaswellashighfever.Whileitiseradicatedinthewild,Labsin
USAandSiberiastillhavevialsofvirulentvirus.Thesevialsmaybestolen,replicatedand
thenusedagainasbiologicalwarfarecausingalotofdamage.Alongwiththesecurityscares
attheCDC,somevialsinSiberiawereactuallystolenbyunknownassailants,andhasnt
beenfoundtilltoday.
Thebubonicplagueisadiseaseoftenknownforitsconnotationswithdeath,often
beingcalledtheblackplague.ItiscausedbythebacteriaY.pestisandcanbe
transmittedviarodentvectorsorbyair.Withouttreatment,itcankilltwothirdsofits
victimswithin4days.Symptomsinclude:
[5]
Gangrene
oftheextremitiessuchastoes,fingers,lipsandtipofthenose.

Chills
Generalillfeeling(
malaise
)
Highfever(39C102F)
[6]
Musclecramps

Seizures
Smooth,painfullymphglandswellingcalledabubo,commonlyfoundinthegroin,
butmayoccurinthearmpitsorneck,mostoftenatthesiteoftheinitialinfection
(biteorscratch)
Painmayoccurintheareabeforetheswellingappears
heavybreathing,continuousvomitingofblood(
hematemesis
),achinglimbs,
coughing,andextremepain.Thepainisusuallycausedbythedecayor
decompositionoftheskinwhilethepersonisstillalive.
Thetreatmentsfortheplaguearenotentirelyeffective,andover40%ofvictimsstilldiewith
treatment.ThediseaseisrampantintheSouthwestregionofUSA.

Anewkindofdiseasecalledviralhemorrhagicfevershavepoppedupasnewdeadlythreats
toourcivilization.Theseincludedengue,Lassavirus,EbolaandRiftValleyFever.Thiscause
internalbleedingandfevers.Havingnoknowncuresorpreventions,itkillsonaverage80%of
itsvictims.Whileitcanonlybetransmittedbyexchangeofbodyfluids,theviruseshavethe
potentialtobecomeairbornewithchangingsomeofitsgeneticcode.
Certainkindsofflu,suchasthestrainthatcausedthe1918flupandemicarenotedfortheir
easeofspreadandlethality.In2010,acapturedintelligenceagentfromIsraelrevealedthat
someswinefluvaccineswereinfactweaponscontaininginfluenzaviruses.Thefluhasthe
potentialtobecomeamajorthreat.
Theseareonlyafewofthedangerousdiseasesintheworld,thatcanusedinaweaponized
capacity.Someothersincludecholera,botulism,entomologicalwarfare,etc.
1972BiologicalWeaponsConventionwaspassedintheGenevaConventionthatprohibited
themassproduction,stockpilingandusageofanykindofbiologicalweapon.Whilemost
countrieshaveadoptedthis(oratleastarediscreetaboutusingthem),somecountrieslike
Syria,IranandIsraelhaveopenlydeclaredand/orthreatenedtousetheseweapons.
Asthequotegoes:
Wewillnolongerloseourlivestolargeexplosionsandshowynucleardemonstrations,but
rathertosmall,soullessmicroscopickillersmadeinsomerandomlaboratory,thatwillcause
disease.Thisisthefutureofwarfare.