38. New infectious diseases. Bioterrorism
- New infectious diseases
- COVID-19
- H1N1 influenza
- Caused 1918 pandemic (Spanish flu) and 2009 pandemic (swine flu)
- SARS
- Zika virus
- Multi-drug resistant tuberculosis
- Bioterrorism
- = the use of microorganisms or their products to cause harms
- Characteristics of bioterrorism agents which make them appealing to terrorists
- Inexpensive
- Readily available
- Easy to produce in quantity
- Can be transmitted between humans
- Hard to treat
- Potential bioterrorism agents are classified into categories, based on their risk
- Category A – highest risk
- Easily disseminated and transmitted
- Has high mortality rates
- Difficult to treat
- Difficult to prepare against
- Examples
- Tularaemia
- Anthrax
- Smallpox
- Botulism
- Bubonic plage
- Viral haemorrhagic fevers
- Category B – second highest risk
- Brucellosis
- Q fever
- Typhus
- Viral encephalitis
- Category C – third highest risk
- Can be engineered for use in bioterrorism
- Nipah virus
- Hantavirus
- Prevention
- National preparedness
- Limit availability of possible bioterrorism agents