Skim the following text to define bioterrorism

Preparing for the Worst: Bioterrorism

Whereas an effective terrorist attack involving chemical agents could cause tens or hundreds of thousands of casualties, an effective attack using biological pathogens could result in millions. It is well known that members of the Al Qaeda organization have sought to acquire biological agents for attack and have contacts with states that possess biological weapon programs. The anthrax attacks that followed the September 11 attacks effectively ended the debate about whether or not terrorists could acquire and use biological agents.

They have done so and they will continue to do so.

The good news is that biological pathogens are generally difficult to weaponize – that is, it is difficult to take them from a laboratory, produce them in large quantities, and turn them into a form that can be effectively dispersed to cause mass casualties. The bad news is that terrorists would need only a small quantity of a highly contagious pathogen like smallpox to infect enough people to cause mass casualties. Each infected individual, in effect, would become a walking biological weapon – a danger whose dimensions are magnified in our modern, mobile society. A local bio-attack could quickly become a national crisis with the potential to destroy the country.

Today’s security measures are not adequate to prevent the theft of dangerous pathogens. Furthermore, literally tons of Cold War-era biological weapons agents are easy to obtain.

In addition, we are ill prepared to prevent the dire consequences of a large-scale bioterrorism attack. We currently lack the stockpiles of vaccines and antibiotics and the means of rapid distribution that would be required for an effective response. We also lack trained and equipped cadre of first responders to cope with a bioterrorism attack.

The less prepared we are for a bioterrorism event, the greater the panic that is likely to follow, and the more threats there will be to civil liberties and people’s lives.

Only by preparing for the worst case scenario can hope to limit its consequences.

Source: Abridged from Campbell K.M., M.A.Flournoy. To Prevail.

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