From swords and spears to atomic bombs, the warfare has evolved over the years and continues to do so even now. Where war-crimes and acts of violence are strictly punishable in different states, like imprisonments in Georgia, Florida, Virginia, etc, the US is yet to develop a counter strategy for threats that biological weapons impose on the well being of the society.

The Biological Weapons Definition is Vast

Biological warfare or the use of biological/chemical weapons can be referred to as the spread of disease, via bacteria, virus, or any other biological delivery mechanism, in human societies, animals or plants. Some of these are extremely hostile weapons and can result in mass eradication of species that have not evolved or do not timely develop immunity against the inflicted disease.

These Can Be More Deadly That Nuclear Weapons

As far as the toxicity of biological weapons is concerned, experts have estimated that 1 gram of botulinum toxin, a major component in most of the biological warfare tools, is enough to kill 10 million people. Moreover, it is relatively easier and cheaper to obtain.

With that being said, the sophisticated and well-maintained production of a biological weapon is still a challenge. This is because they are difficult to develop on a large-scale and are widely impacted environmental conditions. For example, too hot weather can de-activate bacterial or viral strains. Consequently, they need to be devised in such a manner that they are able to withstand external barriers once introduced into the atmosphere.

What Do Laws State About Using Bio-Weapons?

International laws are still ambiguous about the spread of chemical or biochemical agents. Here the concern is not about possession or non-possession of such weapons but rather about the degree to which a nation/state intends to use its capacity to threaten other nations/states.

There are also certain limitations when it comes to determining the depth of biological warfare programs that a country has. Those with large numbers of medical facilities or pharmaceutical companies do have the capacity to plan the mass production of such tools but there is no way to find out, with certainty, whether the production of a chemical/biological agent is for good use or bad. Moreover, only a few particles of a highly toxic or infectious agent is enough to cause an epidemic or even a pandemic. No laws have been put in place that can effectively deal with this type of threat.

Counter Techniques: Prevention, Protection, Detection, Treatment, Decontamination

Protection and prevention against biological warfare is somewhat limited. Different laboratories have introduced clothing, masks and other protective gear but their mass production has not yet taken its course. Therefore, in case of an epidemic, it is highly unlikely that citizens would have access to such protections and they are mostly reserved for military or those in first line of response such as generals, politicians, law makers, doctors, etc.

Another area under study is production of vaccination with reduced length of trials that could be quickly made available to the general population. Decontamination techniques are also being analyzed.

However, removal of a contaminant effectively depends on understanding the particular strain and its infection rate, mode of transfer, etc. Although spread of bacteria can be controlled with such methods, viral strains transform and mutate very quickly and therefore become immune to decontaminating chemicals and even vaccines over the course of time.

Moreover, scientists have suggested the use of heat or Ultra violet radiation as effective decontaminants. In the majority of cases, unfortunately, high degrees of UV rays are required that can irreversibly damage or even kill a living being, human, animal or plant.

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What Is The Future of Biological Warfare?