Anthrax - a hazard

Analysis of Anthrax as a Potential Biological Weapon

A biological substance that could be used as a weapon of mass destruction is anthrax. (WMD). The Bacillus anthracis bacterium that causes anthrax mostly exists in inactive forms called spores, which have a protective hard coating that allows them to endure harsh environmental conditions like heat and radiation for extended periods of time. (San Francisco Department of Public Health, 2017). The spores become active when someone contacts, consumes, or breathes them in.

Methods of Anthrax Delivery

Because it has numerous methods for infecting large numbers of humans across vast geographic areas, anthrax can be used as a biological weapon of mass destruction. Anthrax can be inhaled once it is released into the air over public places with many people using aerosols and this makes it harm many people at once (Global Security, 2017). Another method of delivery is by contact or lacing it on different items which will get to be in contact with many people like letters and shipments. Anthrax can be used as a WMD because it can be introduced in foods ingested by people across the country to get them infected and this form of infection is called gastrointestinal. These three different styles of anthrax infections prove that anthrax can be used a potential biological weapon.

Multiplication and Stability of Anthrax

Anthrax can be used a biological weapon of mass destruction because it multiplies fast once inside the body of a person and harming the victim severely over a short period because of its incubation period of mostly between 2-7 days. What makes anthrax be a potential weapon of mass destruction is its stability under harsh conditions as this makes it easy to transport it to the desired location safely (Global Security, 2017).

Effectiveness of Anthrax

Anthrax as a WMD would be very effective because cutaneous anthrax which affects the person through contact with skin affects the contact region forming blisters and sores and without treatment, 20% of the people may die. Inhalation anthrax starts in the chest lymph nodes before spreading causing breathing difficulty, vomiting headaches, coughs, muscle aches, and shock and 85% of the people may die after exposure (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). Gastrointestinal anthrax is very effective because, after ingestion of the contaminated food, the person experiences bloody diarrhea fever stomach pain and then death. Anthrax has a guaranteed high mortality rate despite the delivery method used. In the case of cutaneous anthrax, a person may assume the affected region because they may perceive it is a simple wound, thus not seeking medical assistance and the condition becomes severe later leading to loss of life.

Response Procedures

Some of the response procedures for the emergency managers in cases of anthrax infection as a biological weapon of mass destruction are such as educating and protecting the workers who would be responding to the anthrax emergency to protect them from contracting the disease themselves. Evacuation of the uninfected people from the region the outbreak has occurred and controlling traffic away from the vicinity of the outbreak region. The emergency managers would need to ensure there are working hospitals and laboratories to diagnose patients and supply medicine. The response managers need to alert the public through the press or media about the anthrax situation emergency and direct them on activities to avoid that may place them at risk of contracting the disease (Elkin, Armstrong, & Ellsworth, 2013). The emergency managers need to collect the information about the anthrax infection to understand and help improve the disease management.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is evident that anthrax is a potential biological agent that can be used as a weapon of mass destruction due to its properties such as stability, mode of delivery and its level of infectiousness. Anthrax is an effective WMD because it is has a very high mortality rate and adversely affects the health of the victims. The emergency response managers can implement varying procedures to respond to the anthrax attack such as educating the health workers, evacuation, taking data about the anthrax infection and alerting and directing the public.

References

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). Anthrax. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/anthrax/index.html

Elkin, B., Armstrong, T., & Ellsworth, T. (2013). Anthrax Emergency Response Plan (AERP). Retrieved from: http://www.enr.gov.nt.ca/sites/enr/files/file_reports/139_file.pdf

Global Security. (2017). Weapons of Mass Destruction. Retrieved from: https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/intro/bio_anthrax.htm

San Francisco Department of Public Health. (2017). Anthrax (Bacillus Anthracis). Retrieved from: http://www.sfcdcp.org/anthrax.html