BioTerrorism Analysis: Weaponsized Infectious Disease and Emerging Disease

Various | 3-17-03 | Bones McCoy

[bonesmccoy]

BioTerrorism Analysis: Weaponsized Infectious Disease and Emerging Disease (A Free Republic Technical Analysis)

About five weeks ago, I started a technical thread that analyzed the space shuttle disaster which killed an international flight crew and lead to wreckage over the southwestern United States. In that thread, we had a remarkable range of technical and analytical skills which this website brought to bear. Because we are anonymous, we can pursue fact without fear of the liberals killing our careers or worse. Tonight, I seek to create a thread on a more serious national security problem, biological weapons of mass destruction and emerging infectious diseases.

The use of weapons of mass destruction had previously been limited due to the inability of other nations to build nuclear fission or fusion weapons. The construction of biological or chemical weapons may not be as technically challenging.

Subsequent to the attacks at WTC, the national security command structure has appropriately realigned US federal policy to reflect the vulnerability of our nation. Use of civilian systems as a vehicle for military-style attack and mass carnage has created significant economic damage in our nation. There is little question that the attacks of September 11, 2001, created a negative economic impact on our entire nation.

However, the negative economic impact of these attacks must be limited by the skill of the citizenry to respond. In particular, the US citizenry must not leave security up to others, we must take action ourselves in order to limit the damage of terror in our cities.

Use of agents of biological terror can create ripple effects that are more significant than the attacks of September 11, 2001. These effects will manifest in the economic impact of increased apprehension in the populace. Failure of our medical services to appropriately mobilize to react to threat will cause increased economic damage.

It is my opinion that our national leadership has not been fully briefed on the gravity of the situation.

While Tom Ridge and Tommy Thompson are making difficult decisions and working diligently to restructure our federal government in the wake of 9-11-01, it is obvious that the public health system is NOT reacting to the threat of BW use by Iraq. The slow response of public health authorities to the release of small pox vaccine by the White House is testimony to the amount of political inertia in the public health system. This inertia appears to be politically motivated. Meanwhile, the private medical system has little fiscal or economic defense against biological attack. If it were not for the President's advocacy for terrorism insurance, we would not have ANY protection whatsoever.

Response to a biological attack requires the following:
1. A confident work force that can mobilize in the face of the attack.
2. An orderly work process that can process hundreds of casualties in a few hours time.
3. Maintenance of social order to insure that civilian enterprises (both governmental and privately owned) can continue to function in the economy.

If social order can not be maintained, the economy will suffer additional damage which will ripple through our nation.

[bonesmccoy]

Your comments are cogent and agree closely with my observation of this area.

I'm appalled with the lousy response, which looks to be nearly unpatriotic and unamerican.

I'm disgusted with public health bureaucrats.

We need the President to give us a chance to at least defend ourselves. The President sent out the vaccines.

The local public health officials sit like princes that squat on land betrothed to them through socialists.

It is high time for Tom Ridge to get pissed off.

Please Gov. Ridge... step in and fire 'em!

[southland]

Bump

[First_Salute]

The local public health officials sit like princes that squat on land betrothed to them through socialists.

Understatement of the decade.

Around here, "city hall" dug a deeper, wider moat, at our expense, to further their "empowerment" and try to prove that government works. The "place" bristles with feathers.

[southland]

RE post 58: I agree with you ,why is it such a big deal to innoculate for smallpox. I too feel that we should go ahead and be innoculated. If we wait for the need, millions of people will not be treated.
I am a farm person having been reared on a farm in North East Alabama and have a background of Agriculture education from Auburn University. Most people do not have the background to understand the BT threats.
Someone posted that paranoia would be the biggest problem and I concur.
I don't see the crop or plant pathogens as a really big concern NOW but in the long run this could really create an enormous problem for our world society.
If it were not for the American farmer now most of the world would have starvation. Any disruption of this fine line would cause world wide problems. One of the first consequences is our farmers would be economically challenged.
Anthrax and smallpox could cause enormous problems quickly if a method of spreading is ever secretly devised.

[bonesmccoy]

Dissemination of anthrax and small pox were evaluated by the former Soviet Union. MSNBC showed video tape from the lab involved. They still had seed colonies of anthrax in vials. Dangerous pathogens were still in the refrigerators.

They don't know how much could have been taken.

More importantly, you can isolate these germs from the general environment.

Genetic engineering of the organisms can be done with fairly standard vectors and cloning techniques.

(sarcastic smirk)

Have a nice sleep tonight :)

LOL.

[Cate]

I saw that tape and could not believe how casual everyone was around the refrigerator. You would think that to enter there would have been 10 locked doors and a secret password, but that certainly wasn't the case. It wouldn't be a comfort to me to have a deadly pathogen separated from me by a simple tupperware lid. Ugh.

[First_Salute]

Bump.

[bonesmccoy]

Dear Cate,

The people were handling the vials with gloved hands (latex?).

It certainly was not up to the level of precautions used at USAMRIID or CDC.

Still, how much of our level of "containment" is due to scientific need and how much is due to liability attorneys suing people?

The reality is that the workers compensation system is not only responsible for slowing distribution of vaccine, but it is also responsible for the escalating cost of vaccine research.

If we want US companies to produce drugs and vaccines for Americans, the reality is that most drug companies are not owned by Americans. They're owned by the Europeans.