Current Issues in Bioterrorism and Their Mitigation

AMK Mohan Rao; SN Sharma

AMK Mohan Rao National Institute of Plant Health Management, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Govt of India, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad.
SN Sharma National Centre for Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt of India, 22, Sham Nath Marg, Delhi.

Keywords: Bioterrorism, Routes, Safety, Threats

Abstract

Bioterrorism is a modern warfare weapon using microorganisms dispersed through air, water, or food sources to cause human mortality among human communities or terrorise a civilian population in the present scenario of increased terrorist activity. They are highly contagious, have a short and predictable incubation period, capable of mass production with little or no prophylaxis or treatment in humans. The target population need to have little or no immunity against the organism. Bioterrorist agents of major concern have been categorised as A, B and C based on their capacity to pose a risk to national security and the ease with which they can be disseminated. Their mitigation activities in dealing with a bioterrorist attack are (i) preparedness phase, (ii) early warning phase, (iii) notification phase, (iv) response phase and (v) recovery phase. The response phase is vital and includes rapid epidemiological investigation, quick laboratory support, mass casualty management and initiation of preventive, curative and specific control measures for containing the further spread of the disease.

How to cite this article:
Mohan Rao AMK, Sharma SN. Current Issues in Bioterrorism and Their Mitigation. XIV Annual Conference of Indian Society for Malaria & Other Communicable Diseases (ISMOCD). 2023;126-130.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/0019.5138.202347

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