Biological Warfare and it's Types

What is Biological Warfare?

Biological warfare is the use of various biological agents like bacteria, viruses, insects, and fungi to kill or harm some humans. A biological attack can result in a large number of causalities and can disrupt the economy and infrastructure of the enemy country.

Biological Warfare

A famous example of biological warfare is the use of bioagents in world war 1 that causes anthrax and glanders infection.

To reduce the proliferation of biological warfare agents, the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) was signed in 1972. This international treaty prohibits the development, production, acquisition, transfer, stockpiling, and use of biological weapons. Its aim is to ensure the peaceful use of biological sciences and prevent the misuse of biological agents for harmful purposes.

Categories of Biological agent

The CDC of the united states divided various biological agents that are used in biological warfare into the following categories:

1. Category A

These weapons can have devastating consequences, leading to significant loss of life and posing major risks to public health. The use of biological warfare agents can result in high mortality rates and cause widespread harm to populations. 

Therefore, it is crucial to prevent their development, production, and use to safeguard public safety and minimize the potential for such catastrophic impacts. They can be easily transmitted from person to person. They may cause public panic and require special attention. Eg: Anthrax, Plague, Smallpox, etc.

2. Category B

These weapons can cause moderate levels of illness and relatively low rates of mortality. While they may not have as high a mortality rate as some other weapons, they can still result in significant morbidity, causing illness and health complications among affected populations. They are moderately easy to spread from one person to another. Examples: Q fever, ricin toxin. cholera, etc.

3. Category C

They can be easily spread from one person to another. They have high morbidity and mortality. Examples are the Nipah virus, Hantavirus, etc.

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