CBRN Overview, Tularemia as a Potential Biological Weapon

 W2: CBRN Overview, Tularemia as a Potential Biological Weapon
Tularemia is a bacterial infectious disease that is transmitted from animals to humans. The illness is one of the most communicable pathogenic bacteria caused by Francisella tularensis. The latter infects people through the mucous membrane, skin, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, humans acquire the disease when directly exposed to infected animals or bitten by a deer fly, ticks, and other biting insects. Once it infects individuals, the organs affected by tularemia include lungs, liver, kidney, lymph nodes, pleura, and spleen (Kaye, 2020). F. tularensis multiplies locally after entering the body, causes tissue necrosis, spreads to the lymph nodes and then to other organs through the bloodstream.

The disease’s incubation period is between three to six days, after which onset of tularemia causes acute fever and generalized aches on the portal of entry. Tissue reactions to the infection lead to suppurative necrosis that comprises polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Inhalation exposure causes airways hemorrhagic inflammation (The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018). Additionally, infected individuals may experience progressive weakness, malaise, weight loss, and sweats.

The weapon is accessible since F. tularensis is common among rodents and other mammals. The advancement in technology can facilitate large-scale production and aerosolization of the bacteria in laboratories. The consequences of terrorist attacks using tularemia as a biological weapon would be devastating. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2018), 1409 cases and 20 deaths were reported between 1985 and 1995. Therefore, using tularemia as a bioweapon can cause many infections and a large number of fatalities. Additionally, the economy would be adversely affected due to the reduced productivity of the affected population.

W3: Chemical Weapons and Threats
Chemical attacks conducted by Aum Shinrikyo, a Japanese terrorist group, or by the Syrian government impacted the United States’ counterterrorism preparedness against the chemical weapon. The incidents triggered the government to develop more enhanced policies to prevent any terrorist. The country developed science-based guidance for responding to chemical attacks and published it. According to Butler (2019), the increased terrorists’ threats and utilization of chemical weapons in Syria increased the awareness of the necessity to have upgraded readiness to respond to such attacks. The new guidelines provided by the government are to facilitate swift decontamination of most people in case of a chemical attack.