Biological WMD

What weapon on this Earth is capable of wiping out millions of people instantly? The first thing most
people will think of is nuclear weapons, but biological weapons are an even greater threat. A viral
epidemic has the potential to kill millions of people in a matter of weeks. Movies like "Outbreak" have
vividly depicted the death and destruction that a virus can cause. A warring nation may intentionally
and deliberately use weapons containing viruses against their enemies. A common method of
accomplishing this is to fill a missile with viruses and detonate it high above a city, spreading the virus
quickly and efficiently. On a large scale, an entire population can be wiped out.

You're probably wondering why anybody would bother using missiles loaded with viruses instead of
explosives. Truth is, in many cases it's much easier to kill a person by just hitting him with a bomb.
The problem with this is that if you bomb the person you also bomb the house, factory, or military
installation. It leaves an enemy's country in ruins. We've seen how such devastation can actually
hinder an invading force. In World War I, for example, Russians would intentionally burned down
their buildings, farms, food, etc. catching the invading army without shelter and food for the upcoming
winter months. A viral weapon on the other hand, will kill the person and leave the houses, factories,
and military bases alone. With no people left, an invader could then use the houses, factories, and all
for their own purposes.

Against modern Western nations, viral weapons are particularly effective. Infected people usually
won't show symptoms for at least a few days after infection. Since people in Western nations travel a
lot, the virus could potentially spread its devastation over a huge area.

Viral weapons are also considerably less expensive. While it would take hundreds of scientists many
years and millions of dollars to develop working nuclear technology, a dozen biologists with a few
hundred thousand dollars could develop a viral weapon in a matter of weeks. In addition, the weapon
could be developed and created using pharmaceutical equipment that is readily available all over the
world.

The threat of Iraq's germ warfare program has already caused a lot of trouble for the UN. They are
believed to possess enough viral, chemical, and biological weapons to kill several hundred million
people.

However, Iraq's stock of viral weapons is closely watched, while those of other countries are not.
Russia is having what is effectively a yard sale on all sorts of weapons, from conventional weapon
systems to rare metals. While they are not known to have sold biological or nuclear weapons, the
possibility is definitely there. Their economy has not been stable in the recent years as given example
by the ruble crash in August of 1998. If given a choice between selling weapons or starving, most
people would forgo their morality for a chance to eat. Scientists in Russia earn a mere $100 per
month, yet are relatively well off, suggesting possible corruption

For example, Smallpox This is the first disease to be completely eradicated from nature. It is also
the least understood and most destructive disease in history. It is part of the orthopoxvirus genus
which include cowpox, rabbitpox, monkeypox, amelpox, but not chickenpox (which is caused by the
varicella virus)

One droplet of exhaled moisture from an infected person contains a thousand more viruses than
needed to infect someone.
The first recorded attack was in ancient Egypt. The last recorded attack was in 1977. There was
possible signs of smallpox rash on the mummy of Rameses V who died in 1156 B.C. The Roman
Empire lost over 1/3 of their subjects in certain areas during a 15-year epidemic beginning 165 A.D. It
decimated the indigenous population in America. Pocahontas died from it in 1617 during her trip to
London. It killed Queen Marry II of England in 1694, Emperor Joseph I of Austria in 1711, King Louis
XV of France in 1774, Emperor Gokwomyo of Japan in 1654, and Emperor Komei of Japan in 1867.
George Washington managed to survive an attack after visiting Barbados in 1751, but it left him
scarred. 1/3 of the population of Iceland died in 1707.

The term "smallpox" was first used in Englihs in the 16th century as a translation of the French term la
petite vérole (vérole means pox).

1714, Greek physician Emanuel Timoni published an article about preventing the disease by
embedding a knife into a victim's rash and then scratching it on a healthy person. This was similar to
many folk techniques known in China, India, and Western Asia. After Lady Mary Wortley Montagu,
wife of an English ambassador to Turkey, in 1721 allowed Gypsy women to immunize her infant son,
it became popular to do so in royal families. Of course, the king first tested it on six condemned
prisoners and 11 children.

In 1721, Cotton Mather heard about the practice from his slave and convinced other Congregational
ministers to use the method since smallpox threatened to depopulate Boston. 6,000 residents got the
disease and 900 died. Only 287 were eventually immunized of which only six died. This success was
not enough to convince most people however. It was still illegal in American colonies. People were
afraid it could start epidemics. Plus, there was no explanation was to why it should work. The process
was counter intuitive and as a result, the public remained skeptical. Ben Franklin couldn't believe this
and as a result, his four-year-old son died in the 1736 epidemic. However, John Quincy Adams was
inoculated at eight in 1775. Mozart also had smallpox. Abraham Lincoln fell ill to smallpox hours after
the gettysburg address. Catherine the Great of Russia, with some pressure from Voltaire , paid an
English doctor 10,000 pounds and 500 pounds a year to inoculate the royal court. George
Washington ordered his army to be inoculated during the revolutionary war. After that, the anti-
inoculation laws were revoked.