Biodefense and Bioterrorism

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Basics

• Summary
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• Diagnosis and Tests

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• Related Issues
• Specifics

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Summary

A bioterrorism attack is the deliberate release of viruses, bacteria, or other germs to cause illness or death. These germs are often found in nature. But they can sometimes be made more harmful by increasing their ability to cause disease, spread, or resist medical treatment.

Biological agents spread through the air, water, or in food. Some can also spread from person to person. They can be very hard to detect. They don't cause illness for several hours or days. Scientists worry that anthrax, botulism, Ebola and other hemorrhagic fever viruses, plague, or smallpox could be used as biological agents.

Biodefense uses medical measures to protect people against bioterrorism. This includes medicines and vaccinations. It also includes medical research and preparations to defend against bioterrorist attacks.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Start Here

• Biohazard Exposure (Department of Homeland Security) Also in Spanish
• Biological Weapons (World Health Organization)
• Frequently Asked Questions: National Biodefense Strategy (Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response)
• In the Event of Bioterrorism: Protecting Families from Deadly Diseases (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Recognition of Biological Weapon Injuries (Merck & Co., Inc.)

Related Issues

• Respirator Fact Sheet: What You Should Know in Deciding Whether to Buy Escape Hoods, Gas Masks, or Other Respirators for Preparedness at Home and Work (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) Also in Spanish
• Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) (Department of Health and Human Services)
• What Are Medical Countermeasures? (Food and Drug Administration)

Specifics

• Bioterrorism and Anthrax: The Threat (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Bioterrorism and Botulism: The Threat (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Bioterrorism and Plague: Preparedness (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Bioterrorism and Q fever: The Threat (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Bioterrorism and Smallpox: The Threat (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Bioterrorism Diseases (Minnesota Department of Health)
• Melioidosis and Bioterrorism (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Integrating implementation science to explore barriers and facilitators influencing nurses' bioterrorism...
• Article: Comprehensive epigenetic landscape of Sulfur Mustard (SM) exposure in HaCaT keratinocytes.
• Article: Mitigating Cross-Border Biological Threats: An Animal Health and Law Enforcement Perspective...
• Biodefense and Bioterrorism -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Also in Spanish
• Department of Homeland Security
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases