Bioweapons

1. Bioweapons William R. Barnett PUBH 521 International Public Health

2. Bioweapons • Why discuss bioweapons? • Bioweapons have historically been used in times of war and in terrorist tactics. • In a post-911 world, there has been much emphasis put on bioterrorism and suspected biological weapons programs being pursued by other nations. • Biological weapons are a global concern, which can threaten society, the environment, and the political or economic stability of many nations.

3. Introduction • What are bioweapons? • Disease-producing microorganisms or biologically derived toxins as weapons. • Bioweapons are used to kill, injure, or damage: • Humans • Animals • Plants • Equipment

4. Introduction con’t • Common terms: • Biowarfare • Bioweapons used against the military to destroy. • Bioterrorism • Bioweapons used against civilians to disrupt. • State-sponsored • ‘Rogue’ states • Sub-state sponsored • Terrorist groups

5. Potential biological agents • Category A: • Anthrax • Smallpox • Plague • Tularemia • Botulinum • Paralysis of breathing muscles • Viral hemorrhagic fevers • Lassa fever • Rift valley fever • Ebola hemorrhagic fever • Marburg hemorrhagic fever Source:CDC

6. Potential biological agents con’t • Anthrax: • Bacillus anthracis • 3 forms: • Cutaneous • Ulceration on the skin • Inhalation • Flu-like symptoms • Chest discomfort • Shortness of breath • Gastrointestinal • Nausea • Loss of appetite • Bloody diarrhea

7. Potential biological agents con’t • Smallpox: • Variola virus • Symptoms: • Fever • Malaise • Head and body aches • Rash • Pustules • Scabs • Last US case in 1949 • Last worldwide case in 1977

8. Potential biological agents con’t • Plague: • Yersinia pestis • 3 forms: • Pneumonic • Fever • Weakness • Chest pain • Bubonic • Fever • Swollen and tender lymph glands • Septicemic • Fever • Chills • Abdominal pain • Bleeding into skin and organs

9. Potential biological agents con’t • Tularemia: • Francisella tularensis • Symptoms: • Sudden fever • Chills • Headaches • Diarrhea • Muscle and joint pain • Chest pain • Ulcers in skin or mouth

10. Potential biological agents con’t • Category B: • Q fever (Coxiella burnetii) • Pneumonia • Brucellosis (Brucella suis) • Severe infections of CNS or heart lining • Glanders (Burkholderiamallei) • Pneumonia and pulmonary abcesses • Ricin toxin • Respiratory distress leading to pulmonary edema • Clostridium perfringens toxin • Staphylococcal enterotoxin B

11. Potential biological agents con’t • Category C: • Nipah virus • Respiratory illness, encephalitis, and coma • Hantavirus • Pulmonary edema • Tick-borne encephalitis • Yellow fever • Multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB)

12. Historical biowarfare • Throughout history, biological agents have been used against combatants in military engagements. • Scientific advances in microbiology during the late 19th century led to the development of destructive biological weapons. • Two world wars gave countries a chance to enhance bioweapons capabilities and eventually use these weapons.

13. Early biowarfare • Contamination of food and water: • 6th century B.C. – Assyrians poisoned wells with rye ergot. • Projecting plague-ridden bodies: • 1346 – Plague-ridden bodies were catapulted over the walls in the city of Kaffra. • Distribution of infected materials: • 15th century – Smallpox infected blankets given to South American natives by Pizarro. • 1754 to 1767 - Blankets contaminated with smallpox were distributed to Native Americans by the British. Source: Bioterrorism Preparedness Program (2002)

14. World War I • Technology from Pasteur and Koch: • Louis Pasteur • Germ theory of disease • Robert Koch • Koch’s postulates • Infected livestock and animal supplies: • Germany developed bioweapons to infect livestock and animal feed: • Anthrax • Glanders • No bioweapon attacks on humans Source: Hilleman, 2002

15. World War I con’t • Cavalry during WWI

16. Geneva Protocol (1925) • An international treaty, which prohibited the use of chemical and biological weapons in warfare. • No prohibition for the development and stockpiling of chemical and biological weapons. • Many biological weapons programs were developed after the treaty: • United States (1943) • USSR (1926) • United Kingdom (1936) • Japan (1932) • Many other nations

17. World War II • Major participants • Japan: • Prior to WWII, Japan used plague, cholera, anthrax and other pathogens during the invasion of China. • An estimated 1,000 to 222,000 deaths from attacks and 5,000 to 10,000 deaths from experimental work. • USSR: • Focused on typhus and plague. • United States: • Developed chemical herbicides and delivery systems for anthrax.

18. World War II con’t • Minor participants • UK and Canada: • Researched bioweapons against animals and crops. • Anthrax use against cattle (“cattle-cakes”). • No participation • Germany: • The offensive use of biological weapons was forbidden. • Germany had a mortal fear of the US bioweapons capability.

19. World War II con’t • Japanese rounding up POWs in China.

20. Biological weapons programs • After WWII, many countries began to increase bioweapon production. • A ‘cold war’ era contributed to further advancements in biological warfare. • There has been much speculation about the bioweapon capability of other nations.

21. US Biological Warfare Program • Began in 1943 at Fort Detrick, Maryland. • In 1945, the US developed as small-particle-size aerosol system to deliver pathogens. • The US dropped war crimes against the Japanese in return for data on experiments against human subjects. • In 1950, wheat rust was made available to be used against the Soviet Union prior to the Korean War. • The Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas began producing Brucella suis in 1954. • The bioweapons program continued into the late 1960’s. Source: Roffey et. al., 2002

22. Weaponized: Bacteria Anthrax Tularemia Brucellosis Q fever Virus Venezuelan equine encephalitis Yellow fever Various toxins and antiplant pathogens Source: Hilleman, 2002 Weapon systems: Sergeant missile warhead Spray dispenser for drones Wet and dry spray tanks for jet planes Cluster bombs Bomblet dispenser for long range bombers US Biological Warfare Program con’t

23. US Biological Weapons Program con’t • Sergeant Missile System

24. US Biological Warfare Program con’t • Nixon’s order (1969): • Ordered discontinuance of bioweapons activity and the destruction of all bioweapons stockpiles. • Why? • US officials felt that biological weapons did not have an military advantage against the enemy. • Results • The Soviet bioweapons program increased as a result of the US decision to stop offensive research. • The FBI organized a disinformation campaign to suggest the US had a secret bioweapons program. • The United States still maintains a defensive research facility at Fort Detrick, MD. Source: Roffey et. al., 2002

25. US Biological Weapons Program con’t • USAMRIID at Fort Detrick, MD

26. USSR Biological Warfare Program • The program was initiated in 1926. • Research was carried out on gas gangrene, tetanus, botulism, and plague. • Methods were developed to deliver these biological agents through aircraft and artillery shells. • Captured Japanese and German researchers and equipment were used to enhance the program. • The bioweapons program continued well into the early 1990’s.

27. USSR Biological Warfare Program con’t • Reported to be researched, developed, and some weaponized by 1993: • Bacteria: • Anthrax • Tularemia • Brucellosis • Plague • Glanders • Virus: • Smallpox • Various pathogens that cause encephalitis and hemorrhagic fevers • Research on genetically modified agents Source:Hilleman, 2002

28. Other biological warfare programs • Iraq: • Began in 1974 • Agents studied were: • Clostridium botulinum • Bacillus anthracis • Influenza virus • Restarted in 1979 • Expanded in 1986 to include toxins: • Aflatoxin • Trichothecene mycotoxins • Ricin Source:Roffey et. al., 2002

29. Other biological weapons program con’t • UN inspectors in Iraq

30. Weaponized: Bacteria Anthrax Clostridium perfringens Antiplant agents Toxins Weapon systems: Missile warheads Aerial bombs Dispenser / drone aircraft Helicopter spray Source:Hilleman, 2002 Researched: Viruses Enterovirus 70 Rotavirus Camelpox Possible others Plague Salmonella Smallpox Brucella Mycotoxins Other biological warfare programs con’t

31. Other biological warfare programs • South Africa: • Initiated in 1980 • Limited covert program, which studied: • Bacillus anthracis • Vibrio cholerae • Clostridium species • Terminated in 1993 • Other states: • North Korea, Iran, Syria, Sudan, and Libya Source: Roffey et. al., 2002

32. Biological Weapons Convention (1972) • This treaty prohibited the development, production, and stockpiling of biological and toxin weapons. • Also, the treaty mandated the destruction of bioweapons. • The treaty failed to provide criteria to separate offensive from defensive bioweapon research and lacked provisions for on-site inspection and verification.

33. After the BWC… • Many countries halted bioweapons production, while others maintained programs. • The decline of state-sponsored biological weapon programs introduced the advent of bioterrorism.

34. Biological agent incidents after BWC • R.I.S.E. (1972) • Objective: • Kill off most of humanity to prevent destruction of nature, then restart human race. • Target: • Originally, the world population • 5 states around Chicago • Agents: • Typhoid fever • Diptheria • Dysentery • Meningitis • Delivery: • Aerosol via aircraft and contamination of water • Outcome: • Aborted when cultures were discovered Source: Tucker, 1999

35. Biological agent incidents after BWC con’t • Rajneeshee Cult (1984) • Objective: • Incapacitate voters at local election in Oregon • Target: • Residents in town of The Dalles and Wasco County • Agent: • Salmonella typhimurium • Delivery: • Contamination of salad bars in local restaurants • Outcome: • Plot revealed when the cult collapsed after 751 people were poisoned (no fatalities)

36. Biological agent incidents after BWC con’t • Minnesota Patriots Council (1991): • Objective: • Harm federal government • Targets: • IRS, U.S. deputy marshal, and local law enforcement • Agent: • Ricin toxin • Delivery: • Skin contact and dry aerosol • Outcome: • Group was penetrated by FBI

37. Biological agent incidents after BWC con’t • Larry Wayne Harris (1998): • Objective: • To alert Americans to the Iraqi bioweapons threat • Target: • Threatened U.S. officials • Agents: • Obtained plague and anthrax • Delivery: • Crop-duster • Outcome: • Arrested when openly talked about bioterrorism

38. Biological agent incidents after BWC con’t • Other incidents: • London (1978): • Georgi Markov, a Bulgarian exile, was assassinated with ricin supplied by the Soviet Union. • Sverdlovsk (1979): • Anthrax spores accidentally released from a weapons site in former USSR killing many people and animals. • United States (2001): • Anthrax mailed to politicians, news correspondents, and others.

39. Global concerns of bioweapons • There are many factors related to groups becoming potentially armed with bioweapons. • Some countries may be ill-prepared to react to the release of a biological agent. • The use of biological weapons has global ramifications.

40. Risk analysis • Factors • Increased political and/or military motivation: • Many countries have bioweapons capability or are in the process of weaponizing biological agents. • Bioweapons can be used as a deterrent to conventional warfare or as a ‘perceived threat’. • Adversaries are ‘on their own’ and do not look to the ‘superpowers’ for help. • Biowarfare is largely unprecedented. • Changes in traditional terrorism tactics. Source: Fidler, 1999

41. Risk analysis con’t • Lowering of technological barriers • Bioweapons are ‘affordable’ in comparison to chemical or nuclear facilities. • Biological weapon programs can be masked by research programs. • Much of the knowledge of bioweapons have been well researched. • Former bioweapons scientists are marketing their expertise to other countries (i.e. Soviet Union). • Well-financed cults, terrorist groups, or ‘rogue’ states are seeking biological weapons.

42. Risk analysis con’t • Military and civilian vulnerability: • Is the United States or other potential targets ready for a biological weapons attack? • Lack of training, funding, antibiotics, etc. all contribute to the vulnerability of the country.

43. Disparities • Preparedness: • Local health departments, hospitals, and medical personnel need to be trained. • Coordination between local, state, and federal agencies. • Early detection systems. • Research on infectious disease. • Intelligence and monitoring of potential threats. • Vaccines: • Must be used in advance of an exposure. • Usually given in multiple doses. • Must be available or have the ability to be developed.

44. Disparities con’t • Anti-microbials: • Is there an adequate supply of antibiotics? • Some bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics. • Genetically manipulated bacteria and viruses can be difficult to treat.

45. Global impacts • The cost to decontaminate infectious areas • International trade will slow down • Overwhelmed medical facilities • Quarantines • Damaged diplomatic relations and retaliation • Lingering pathogens • Livestock and food supplies harmed • Wildlife populations adversely affected

46. WHO (1970) • Anthrax • >20 km downwind reach • 95,000 people killed • 125,000 people incapacitated • Tularemia • >20 km downwind reach • 30,000 people killed • 125,000 people incapacitated Source: Hilleman, 2002

47. WHO (1970) • Typhus • 5 km downwind reach • 19,000 people killed • 85,000 people incapacitated • Tickborne encephalitis • 1 km downwind reach • 9,500 people killed • 35,000 people incapacitated

48. Conclusion • Historically, biological weapons have been used against civilians and the military. • Many countries began developing intense bioweapons programs in the early half of the 1900’s. • The collapse of the Soviet Union left many scientists without work and seeking employment from ‘rogue’ states. • Some countries have declared bioweapon capability and others have maintained secret programs.

49. Conclusion con’t • Public health systems and medical facilities need to be prepared to handle a bioweapons attack. • Intelligence needs to improve to pinpoint threats.

50. Discussion • What is an effective delivery system for biological agents? • Food • Water • Aerosol • Explosive • Other