Bioweapons: an emerging threat
by: Aina Shakeel
When you think of war, what is the first weapon that comes to mind? A nuclear strike? Perhaps some kind of powerful missiles? There have been many more advancements, believe it or not. Humans would never have imagined being attacked by deadly viruses instead of these powerful machines, but it is now all possible. Modern technology, research, and equipment have opened new doors for wars.
What
are Bioweapons? :
A
biological weapon may sound weird at first, but once you understand what it is,
you will realize how dangerous it can be. Bioweapons are mass-destructive
weapons. As the twenty-first-century approaches, there is a growing global
awareness of the use of biological warfare agents in both war and terrorist
attacks. Biological agents include microorganisms or biological toxins that
cause death in humans, animals, and plants. They are distinguished by their low
visibility, high potency, wide availability, and relatively simple delivery.
The virus MEV1 is suggested to be a bioweapon throughout the movie 'Contagion',
but this idea is never validated.[2]
Was
MEV-1 a Bioweapon :
In the movie 'Contagion', the CDC's Ellis Cheever (Fishburne) to the Department of Homeland Security says “Someone doesn’t have to weaponize the bird flu. The birds are doing that.” He uses this statement to argue that the MEV-1 cannot be a bioweapon. Because it is a natural occurrence, there is no need for someone else to help spread it around the world. [1]
Furthermore,
the MEV-1 virus was highly contagious; the film depicted it as a pandemic of a
fictitious virus that rapidly spread worldwide, killing tens of millions of
people; however, if it had been a bioweapon, it would have been launched in a
way to target a specific race, ethnicity, or community, and a cure for it would
have already been available, proving that it was not a bioweapon.
CRISPR
and Bioweapons:
You’ve
probably watched the movie rampage, if not you definitely should. Anyway, the
movie uses CRISPR for gene editing. The pod containing the samples is damaged
and bursts open, depressurizes, and explodes. The samples themselves take
flight and fly all over the country.
An evil
biotech executive subverts a scientist's work to create a bioweapon that boosts
the growth hormone gene, in three unfortunate animals. One lands in George's
(the gorilla's) enclosure, another in the forest near a pack of wolves, and the
third in a Florida river, where a crocodile devours the entire sample. These
enormous beasts appear in the city and wreak havoc.
This image depicts how Davis was present
in the film to control the chaos caused by the three infected animals.
(https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2018/04/17/viewpoint-rampage-movie-offers-twisted-take-on-crispr-gene-editing/)
Davis makes it
clear later in the film that he does not trust Kate. She reveals that her
brother was diagnosed with cancer while she was working for Energyne, and she
hoped that CRISPR would cure him. Until she realized Claire was using CRISPR to
create dangerous weapons. She attempted to flee with it but was apprehended and
imprisoned, causing chaos.
The
screenwriters appear to be conflating gene editing with an infectious bioweapon
such as anthrax. Further, in the movie, Claire declares, “The
pathogen is doing what we designed it to.” Well, no. “The pathogen,” whatever
it is, isn’t the bioweapon, it’s the delivery system for the CRISPR components,
like a rubber band in a slingshot. [4][5]
The
unethical use of Bioweapons:
If
rogue politicians or terrorists were to get hold of the remaining supplies, the
consequences could be disastrous. Smallpox isn’t the only threat, there are
some two dozen conventional biological agents -- including anthrax, Ebola and
typhus -- plus an unknown number of genetically engineered organisms that
terrorists could unleash on an unsuspecting public.
"We're
tempted to say that nobody in their right mind would ever use these
things," Block says, "but not everybody is in their right mind!"[3]
The likelihood
of future misuse of Bioweapons:
"Smallpox
is a direct threat to the entire world," says Block, a Stanford professor
of biological sciences and applied physics. Although the disease has been
eradicated in the wild, the governments of the United States and Russia
continue to keep frozen stocks of the smallpox virus. Which, at any time, could
be used as a bioweapon, causing global devastation. [3]
Potential
methods of the release of smallpox attack:
A
smallpox biological attack could be carried out in several ways:
• By
contaminating various articles and food
• By
using an intentionally infected terrorist
• By
using mechanical devices to generate an aerosol in the open air or an enclosed
space
• By
using explosive devices
•
Creating an aerosol from dry powders or liquid formulations using
"natural" air movements (subway, elevator silos, etc.).[6]
The
reemergence of smallpox as a result of a man-made epidemic poses a serious
threat to humanity, even if it would not wipe out the entire human population.
Don’t
get scared, after all, it’s not that bad or is it?
If a
threat, no matter how small, of a smallpox attack exists, it must be addressed. If the United States and other developed
countries do more to prevent the spread of biological weaponry this could get
solved. For instance, if they start spending funds on the development of
hi-tech devices capable of instantaneously detecting lethal bacteria and
viruses in the environment, this would help in trying to mitigate the effects
of such weapons.[3]
Second,
if vaccines for potential diseases that could be used as bioweapons are
developed and stockpiled ahead of time, the entire process will be much more
efficient. When a threat is detected, the necessary vaccines and measures are
already in place.
A much
more efficient approach would be to implement routine vaccinations in the same
way that the United States did to eradicate smallpox in 1980. This would
protect citizens from such deadly diseases beforehand.
Only
then can we be confident that we will be fully prepared to meet this threat.
The alternative is to be as helpless as the millions who died from smallpox
over the centuries.
Conclusion:
Bioweapons
remain a threat to all of humanity. The only way to truly reduce the threat of
a bioterrorist attack is to be prepared for one.
References:
2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15839453/#:~:text=Abstract,in%20humans%2C%20animals%20and%20plants
3.
https://news.stanford.edu/pr/01/bioterror117.html
5.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VnhXpe03x
6.
https://www.ijidonline.com/article/S1201-9712(04)00130-4/fulltext#secd4998295e162
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