Accusations of the use of biological weapons are taking place between Russia, the United States (US) and Ukraine. What is a biological weapon?
For information, Russia accuses Ukraine of having a biological weapons program funded by the US. But the US has denied Russia's claims. A US official said the allegations were nonsense propaganda and accused Russia of seeking a pretext for fighting a war in Ukraine.
NATO, including the US, later hit back at Russia's accusations against Ukraine of its biological weapons program by saying Russia might use chemical weapons to launch its invasion of Ukraine.
Biological Weapon
Citing the WHO website, biological weapons are microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, or other toxins that are produced and released intentionally to cause disease and death in humans, animals or plants.
Biological agents, such as anthrax, botulinum toxin, and plague, can pose difficult public health challenges causing large numbers of deaths in a short period of time and are difficult to control. Bioterrorism attacks can also lead to epidemics, for example if Ebola or Lassa viruses are used as biological agents.
"Biological weapons are part of a larger class of weapons referred to as weapons of mass destruction, which also includes chemical, nuclear and radiological weapons. The use of biological agents is a serious problem, and the risk of using these agents in a bioterrorist attack is increasing," the WHO wrote. .
Biological weapons can be used for political assassination, infection of livestock or agricultural products causing food shortages and economic losses, creation of environmental disasters, widespread disease, and fear and mistrust among people.
What are Biological Weapons
Almost any disease-causing organism (bacteria, viruses, fungi, prions or rickettsiae) or toxins (poisons of animal, plant or microorganism origin, or synthetically produced similar substances) can be used in biological weapons.
Biological weapons agents can be upgraded from their natural state to be mass-produced, stored, and deployed as weapons. Historically, a number of diseases have been used as biological weapons programs, including aflatoxin, anthrax, botulinum poison, foot and mouth disease, Q fever, Rocky Mountain rash, smallpox, and tularemia.
Delivery mechanism
Biological weapons delivery systems take many forms. Since ancient times, biological weapons programs have built missiles, bombs, hand grenades and rockets to deliver and deploy these biological weapons.
In addition, a number of programs are designing spray tanks to be attached to planes, cars, trucks, and ships to spread disease. Then there are also documented attempts to develop delivery devices for assassination or sabotage operations, including various sprays, brushes and injection systems as well as means for contaminating food and clothing.
Technology advances
In addition to concerns that biological weapons may be developed or used by a state, recent technological advances may increase the likelihood that biological weapons may be acquired or produced by non-state actors, including terrorist individuals or organizations.
In the 20th century, we witnessed the use of biological weapons by individuals and groups to commit criminal acts or targeted killings, biological warfare waged by a nation, and the accidental release of pathogens from laboratories.
Another related issue is the false accusation of use of biological weapons which highlights the difficulty in distinguishing between naturally occurring disease, accident and intentional use.
In practice, if a suspicious disease event occurs, it can be difficult to determine whether it was caused by nature, accident, sabotage, or an act of biological warfare or terrorism.
Consequently, a response to a biological event, whether natural, accidental, or intentional, will involve the coordination of many sectors that together have the ability to determine causes and attribute them to specific sources.