Based upon your reading of the materials giving, and your own additional research, prepare an essay discussing the use of infectious disease as a weapon of international terror. You should address the following questions:
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of microbes, vis-à-vis destructive “hardware” such as guns and bombs?
- What would be the characteristics of an ideal “weapon bug?” Things to consider:
- Vector (i.e., carried by people, animals, in foodstuff, on other goods?)
- Lethality
- Transmissibility (ease with which it is spread)
- Mode of transmission (airborne, direct contact, indirect contact)
- Arrival mode (airplane, ship, on foot)
- Based upon the above, select an organism. Explain your selection.
- Describe the most effective countermeasures.
- What precautions, if any, should logistics companies take, in addition to those prescribed by government regulation? Explain.
