Their action is unequal. One of the most dangerous species is biological weapons. It is viruses, fungi and microbes, as well as animals infected with these viruses. The purpose of the use of this weapon is the defeat of people, plant and animal world. The composition of the biological weapons includes a means of delivering it to the destination.
Weapons do not harm buildings, subjects and materials having value. It is striking and infects animals, people, water, vegetation, etc.
Biological weapons are divided into several species depending on the materials used.
The first view is the use of bacteria. These include plague, cholera and other infectious diseases.
The following appearance are viruses. Here there are differences of smallpox, encephalitis, various types of fever and some other diseases.
The third appearance is Ricketsia. This includes pathogens of some kinds of fever, etc.
And the last - fungi. They cause diseases by histoplasmosis, blastomycosis and some other diseases.
It is the presence of a certain type of pathogens and determines the type to which biological weapons belongs.
Unlike other species or chemical), this species is a source of infection, getting into the body even in minimal doses. Another feature of this weapon is its ability to spread. That is, there is an opportunity to transfer a disease from a person to man and from the animal to a person.
It is also very steadily for destruction. Finding into the soil or to another external environment, it remains for a long time. Its action can manifest itself through a certain time interval and cause an outbreak of infection.
The next feature, which has a biological weapon of mass lesion, can be attributed to its sweeping. The period from infection to the first signs of the disease can undergo asymptomatic, which leads to its distribution. To identify diseases and infections at the initial stage can only be laboratory. This is a very time-consuming and long process. And if we talk about countering biological weapons, the measures must be taken immediately.
To reveal the fact of applying this type of weapon, some features of its structure should be taken into account. Typically, round fragments are found in places. At the time of breaking, a deaf sound is heard. An explicit feature is the formation of vapors and clouds that disappear very quickly. Also, the appearance of liquid droplets on the surface in the area of \u200b\u200bfall or substances in the form of a powder may be observed. A sign of the use of biological weapons is also a trail from the fluttering aircraft, the appearance of a large number of rodents or insects, which is not atypically for this time or terrain. Also, the consequence of its use is the massive case of animals and a large number of people at the same time.
The usual method of spreading viruses and bacteria is a respiratory system. In this case, aerosol means are used. They settled on the surface of the skin, clothing, soil, plants and penetrate the human body through or cuts. Also carriers may be animals and animal husbandry products. Biological weapons are the most dangerous type of weapons of mass lesion.
In this regard, humanity is developing funds against its impact. Protection against biological weapons must be immediate enough to disseminate it. Such means include vaccine and serum. Also subject to immediate destruction infected animals, items and food.
1Articles present data on the use of biological and chemical weapons. It was concluded that the impact assessment (the consequences of the application) of chemical and biological agents is conjugate with tremendous difficulties. The results of research often affects the fourthness of various variables, since it is distinguished between the true long-term results of the impact and originating on their background, the manifestations of the same symptoms associated with a wide range of other reasons may be extremely difficult. Probable application of various biological and chemical preparations against the background of a number of other factors, leading to an extensive list of continued long-term symptoms of adverse effects (including carcingenesis, teratogenesis, mutagenesis and a number of nonspecific somatic and psychological symptoms), as expected, may be due to the impact of chemical Substances along with other possible reasons.
biological weapons
biological and chemical preparations
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A multitude of emergency situations or a catastrophe, which you have to or have to respond public health authorities, relates to the deliberate use of biological weapons with the release of biological or chemical agents. This problem worldwide for health care is currently one of the priorities. The history of mankind has retained information about well-poisoning during numerous wars, infection of the precipitated fortresses of the plated, the use of poisonous gases on the battlefield.
Back in the V century BC. Indian law Manu banned military use of poisons, and in the 19th century AD The civilized colonialists of America gave Indians infected blankets to cause epidemics in tribes. In the 20th century, the only proven fact of the intentional use of biological weapons was infected by the Japanese of the Chinese territories by bacteria of the plague in the 30-40s.
Some experts believe that the United States applied biological weapons during the Vietnam War, where over 100 thousand tons of herbicides and defoliates, who affect the vegetation, were sprayed. In this way, the Americans tried to destroy the greens on the trees to see the partisans from the air. Such an application of biological weapons is called ecosystem, since pesticides do not possess an absolutely electoral action. So, in Vietnam, there was damage to freshwater fish, the catch of which up to the mid-80s. It remained 10-20 times lower than before the use of military purposes. 10-15 times the soil fertility of the affected lands remained lower, as a result of the use of herbicides, more than 5% of the farmland of the country were destroyed. The direct damage was to 1.6 million Vietnamese. More than 7 million people were forced to leave areas where pesticides were used.
The development, production and use of biological and chemical weapons is prohibited by international treaties that are signed by the majority of WHO member states. These contracts include the Geneva Protocol of 1925, the Convention on the Prohibition of Biological and Toxin Weapons (Biological Weapons Convention) of 1972, the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons of 1993, and others. Given the fact that the contracts are signed not by all global countries, there are quite reasonable concerns that anyone can try to use such a weapon. In addition, non-state structures may also try to take possession of them in terrorist or other criminal purposes.
The use of poisoning gases (mustard and nervous - paralytic) during the war between the Iraq and the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1988, two cases of use Zarina (in 1994, 1995) by the religious sect "AUM SINICON" in public areas in Japan ( Including in the Tokyo metro), the spread of the dispute of the Siberian ulcers through the United States postal system in 2001, (the resulting death of five people) obviously confirm the need to be ready for the situation with the deliberate release of chemical or biological agents
Recognizing this need, the World Health Assembly at its 55 session in May 2002 adopted the WHA55.16 resolution, which called on Member States to "refer to any, including local, intentional use of biological and chemicals and a radiation-nuclear blow To apply harm as a global threat to public health and respond to such threats in other countries by exchanging experiences, providing materials and resources in order to quickly deter strength and mitigation. "
Biological (bacteriological) weapons (BO) - a type of weapon of mass lesion, the action of which is based on the use of the pathogens of combat biological means - causative agents of diseases of people, animals and plants. The biological weapon includes biological (bacterial) means and means of their delivery to apply the enemy defeat. The means of their delivery may be warheads of rockets, shells, aviation containers and other media. According to foreign specialists, an important feature of biological weapons is its high-striking efficiency with very small doses necessary for infection, as well as the ability of some infectious diseases to epidemic distribution. The appearance of a relatively small number of patients as a result of the use of biological weapons can further cover the epidemic of large masses of troops and the population. The relative resistance and duration of the striking effect of biological weapons are due to the stability of some causative agents of infectious diseases in the external environment, especially if they are applied in the form of a dispute. As a result, long-term continued foci of infection can be created. The same effect can be achieved by using infected carriers - ticks and insects. A specific feature of biological weapons, which distinguishes it from all other types of weapons, is the presence of an incubation period, the duration of which depends on the nature of the infectious disease (from several hours to 2-3 weeks or more). Small doses of biological agents, lack of color, taste and odor, as well as the relative complexity and duration of special methods of indication (bacteriological, immunological, physico-chemical) make it difficult to the timely detection of biological weapons and create conditions for its hidden use. According to foreign experts, one of the properties of biological weapons is its strong psychotraumatic impact on the civilian population and troops. The peculiarity of biological weapons is also its reverse (retroactive) action, which can manifest itself when using pathogens of contagious diseases and is to disseminate epidemic diseases among the troops that applied this weapon.
The basis of the affecting actions of biological weapons are bacterial agents - bacteria, viruses, rickettsia, mushrooms and toxic products of their livelihoods used for military purposes using living infected carriers of diseases (insects, rodents, ticks, etc.) or in the form of suspensions and powders. The pathogenic microbes do not have colors, odor and differ in extremely small sizes measured in microns and millimecrons, which eliminates the visibility by their naked eye. Bacteria, for example, can be directly detected only with electronic microscopes. The biological weapon causes a disease, and the death of a person in case of insignificantly small quantities in the body.
Infectious diseases caused by the use of biological weapons under certain conditions can be distributed from one focus of infection in another, cause epidemics. The defeat of people and animals can occur as a result of inhalation infected with bacterial air products, hitting pathogens and toxins on mucous membranes and damaged skin, bitees infected with carriers, use of infected food and water, contact with infected objects, injured by fragments of bacterial ammunition, and by Contact with infectious patients.
Effects the use of biological or chemical weapons can be divided into short-term and long-term.
The most characteristic short-term result of the use of biological and chemical weapons is a large number of victims. With great demand for medical resources, taking into account the circumstance that the psychological response of the civilian population to the attack with the use of biological or chemical weapons, (including possible panic and horror), can be much more pronounced than the reaction as a result of an attack with the use of conventional weapons. A visual example of the nature of the short-term consequences of the attack with the use of chemical weapons in urban environments was used in 1994-1995. The action of terrorists in Japan, during which neuro-paralytic gas Zarhar was used. Episode in the United States with letters with Siberian Ulcers in the late 2001
Possible long-term consequences of the use of biological and chemical weapons, including a slow, long-term and environmental impact on health, after a long time and far from the place where these types of weapons were used are generally less definite and less understandable.
Some biological and chemical agents may cause a physical or mental illness that is preserved or manifested in months, and even years after the use of the weapons itself. Such an impact is considered generally recognized and has been repeatedly the subject of special scientific monographs. It can promote the dissemination of damage caused by biological or chemical weapons, beyond the area intended for the attack, both in time and in space. In the case of most agents, it is impossible to make specific forecasts, since there are still very little about their long-term consequences.
The long-term effects of emissions of biological and chemical agents may include chronic diseases, late symptoms, new infectious diseases that become endemic, and consequences as a result of environmental changes. The possibility of chronic diseases after the impact of some poisonous chemicals is well known. The emergence of chronic exhausting pulmonary diseases in victims affected by the attack with the use of mustard gas was noted after the First World War. Similar information is also contained in the reports on the status of mustard gas in Iran after the war between the war between the Iraq and the Islamic Republic of Iran in the 1980s. Observation of victims in Iran revealed exhaustive chronic lung diseases (chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasia, asthmatic bronchitis, pulmonary fibrosis, blockage of pulmonary ducts), eye (slow motion of keratitis leading to blindness) and skin (dry, skin itching with numerous secondary complications , pigmentation disorders and structural disorders from hypertrophy to atrophy). Cases of death in bully complications have met more than 10 years after the termination of every impact.
With the use of biological agents as weapons, the most likely for use is recognized as plague, natural smallpox, Siberian ulcers, Tularemia, Brocelosis, Sap, Meloid, Spotted Freshland of Rocky Mountains, American Encephalomyelitis Horses, Yellow Fever, Ku-Fever, Deep Mikosa, and Botulic toxin. For infection of farm animals, emasculates can be used, cattle plague, African plague of pigs, Siberian ulcers, SAPA; To infect plants - the pathogens of the stem rust of wheat and others. Biological agents, including those that cause special concern, may cause long-term diseases.
Brucella Melitensis infection, for example, occur it is more difficult than brucellosis caused by B. SUIS or B. ABORTUS, and especially affect bones, joints and hearts (endocardits). Repeated infection, weakness, weight loss, general painful condition and depression are the most common symptoms. Infections associated with Francisella Tularensis,also lead to a long disease and weakness and can last many months. Viral encephalitis may have irreversible consequences for central and peripheral nervous systems.
Slow manifestations In individuals who have been exposed to certain biological or chemical poisoning substances may include, depending on the dose obtained, carcinogenesis, teratogenesis and mutagenesis. Some biological and chemical agents also serve as an obvious cause of cancer in humans. At the same time, it is not yet known whether an infection is carcinogenic for humans transmitted by those microorganisms that are suitable for biological species of weapons. With regard to the possibility of individual classes of chemicals to cause cancer, mostly animals on which experiments are conducted, the data on this issue is also small. For example, some chemical compounds of particular interest, such as mustard gas, are alkylating agents, and many such substances possess, as established, carcinogenic properties. As evidenced by these literature, the appearance of carcinogenesis after a single active episode associated with the impact of the sulfuric iprite is doubtful. At the same time, there is enough data indicating a significant increase in the number of diseases of the respiratory tract among workers as a result of prolonged exposure to low doses of mustard gas in the industrial production process. The results of animal experiments and epidemiological data on population groups show that cases of carcinogenesis caused by many carcinogens depend on the strength and duration of the impact. Consequently, one-time impact will, as such as possible, are much less carcinogenic than the long exposure to the same total dose for many months or years. Some chemicals and infectious agents may cause significant damage to the person's fetus. The well-known examples of this phenomenon are talidomide and rubella virus. It is not known what particular chemicals or biological agents considered here have a teratogenic effect in case of obtaining doses of pregnant women in civilian groups that are exposed to them. Little attention has been further paid to the study of the issue of whether the well-known chemical and biological agents can be caused. According to some reports, many chemicals can cause such changes both in experimental organisms and in human cell cultures. If biological agents are used to cause non-endemic diseases for a country that has been attacked, this may lead to the fact that the disease will become endemicfor both people and possible carriers, such as arthropods and other intermediate "hosts", such as rodents, birds or domestic cattle. For example, disputes Bacillus Anthracisvery resistant when entering the environment and can be maintained a very long time, especially in the soil. Infecting and breeding in the body of animals, they can create new foci. Create existing for a long time, foci can also be microbes that are causative agents of gastrointestinal infections in humans, such as Salmonellaand Shigella. Strains Salmonellamay also be present at domestic animals. A special problem may consist in the fact that deliberate release in hostile goals of the virus Variolait may lead to the re-emergence of the Ose, which was ultimately liquidated in its natural manifestation in the 1970s, which was particularly beneficial to developing countries. Finally, consequences caused by environmental changes are possible. New foci of diseases can be created as a result of environmental changes, the cause of which is the use of biological agents, infectious for humans and animals, or as a result of using defoliates. This can lead to long-term harmful to human health consequences manifested in reducing the number and decrease in the quality of food of vegetable and animal origin. In addition, it may entail serious economic consequences either as a result of direct impact on agriculture, or as a result of indirect impact on trade and tourism.
In addition to the ability to cause physical injuries and illness, biological and chemical agents can be fully used when conducting a psychological war (a military term, meaning a morale undermining, including terrorization), taking into account the horror and fear that they cause. Even if the specified agents are not used in fact, the threat of their use can cause a violation of normal life and even panic. The exaggeration of such an impact is associated with an exaggerated presentation on the threat of biological and chemical weapons, which can arise in some cases. In addition, sometimes people better represent the harmful effects associated with conventional weapons types than the consequences associated with toxic and infectious materials.
The appearance and distribution of rocket delivery systems over long distances has strengthened the fear of the biological and chemical attack in cities, where the population considers himself to some extent defenseless, which in turn further increases the potential of the psychological war. So in Tehran during the "war of the cities" at the final stage of the war between the Iraq and the Islamic Republic of Iran in the 1980s, when the threat (and not relevant) that rockets can be used to deliver chemical weapons, reportedly caused a better Anxiety than warheads containing powerful charges of explosives. Another example will be the war in the Persian Bay of 1990-1991, when there was a threat that the Sped Rockets, aimed at Israeli cities, could be equipped with a warhead with a chemical charge. In addition to military personnel and civil defense personnel, many citizens have received protective equipment against a chemical attack and preparation for protection in case of the application of chemical combat poisoning. Huge concern was also due to the fact that all missile shelling was always considered as a chemical attack until it was confirmed that it was not so, although the warheads with chemicals actually did not use Iraq.
Thus, the impact assessment (the consequences of the application) of chemical and biological agents is conjugate with tremendous difficulties. The results of research often affects the fourthness of various variables, since it is distinguished between the true long-term results of the impact and originating on their background, the manifestations of the same symptoms associated with a wide range of other reasons may be extremely difficult.
Probable application of various biological and chemical preparations against the background of a number of other factors, leading to an extensive list of continued long-term symptoms of adverse effects (including carcingenesis, teratogenesis, mutagenesis and a number of nonspecific somatic and psychological symptoms), as expected, may be due to the impact of chemical Substances along with other possible reasons.
Contrary to each other data and inconclusive results currently lead to the fact that it is simply impossible to make unambiguous conclusions .
Reviewers:
Gromov M.S., D.M., Professor, General Director of Honest Clinic LLC No. 1 Saratov;
Abakumova Yu.V., D.M., Professor, Professor of the Department of Clinical Medicine NOU VPO "Saratov Medical Institute" Reabiis ", Saratov.
Bibliographic reference
Konovalov P.P., Arsentiev O.V., Buyanov A.L., Niztseva S.A., Maslyakov V.V. The use of biological weapons: history and modernity // Modern problems of science and education. - 2014. - № 6.;URL: http://science-education.ru/ru/article/view?id\u003d16621 (date of handling: 05.02.2020). We bring to your attention the magazines publishing in the publishing house "Academy of Natural Science"
Incredible facts
At this or that time, people tried to use any opportunity to find a new viable option for destroying each other. We demolished the forests, "turned" religion, philosophy, science and even art in order to fow the desire of mankind to drink more blood from each other. On this way, we even built some of the most serious viral, bacterial and fungal weapons.
The beginning of the use of biological weapons goes back to the ancient world. In 1500 BC. Hitty in Malaya Asia understood the power of an infectious disease and enjoyed the plague on enemy lands. Many armies also understood the strength of biological weapons, leaving the infected corpses in the enemy fortress. Some historians even suggest that 10 biblical ulcers, which "convened Moses" against Egyptians may have been the campaigns of the biological war, and not visible divine acts.
From those first days of achievements in the field of medical science led to a significant improvement in the understanding of the action of harmful pathogens and how our immune system is struggling with them. However, although these achievements have led to the emergence of vaccination and treatment methods, they also led to further militarization of some of the most destructive biological "agents" on the planet.
The first half of the 20th century was marked by the use of both the Germans and the Japanese of such biological weapons as a Siberian ulcer. Next, it began to be applied in the USA, Great Britain and Russia. Today, biological weapons are out of law, since its use was prohibited in 1972 by the Biological Weaving Convention and the Geneva Protocol. But at the time, when a number of countries have long destroyed their stocks of biological weapons and stopped research on this topic, the threat remains. In this article we will look at some of the main threats of biological weapons.
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The term "biological weapons", as a rule, creates mental images associated with sterile government laboratories, special uniforms and tubes full of bright liquids. Historically, however, the biological weapon takes much more landed forms: paper bags full of infected fleas, or even the usual blanket, as it was during the war between France and India in 1763.
By order of Commander Sir Jeffrey Amherst (Jeffrey Amherst), the British troops were delivered infected with a blanket in Indian tribes in Ottawa. The indigenous inhabitants of America were especially susceptible to the disease, because, unlike Europeans, until then they did not come across a smallpox, and therefore they had no appropriate immunity. The disease "cut" the tribes as a forest fire.
Opa is caused by a natural smallpox virus. With the most common forms of diseases, death occurs in 30 percent of cases. Signs of smallpox are high temperature, lubrication in the body, as well as rash, which develops from liquid filled yasels. The disease is mainly distributed through direct contact with the skin of an infected person or through biological fluids, but can also spread through the air in a close, limited medium.
In 1976, WHO led the efforts to eradicate smallpox by means of mass vaccination. As a result, in 1977, the last case of infection with smallpox was recorded. The disease was actually eliminated, however, the laboratory copies of the smallpox still exist. Both Russia and the United States have it approved by WHO copies of smallpox, but since the OSAP played its role, being biological weapons in special programs of several nations, it is not known how many secret stocks still exists.
OSAP is classified as a class A biological weapon due to a high mortality rate, and also due to the fact that it can be transmitted through the air. Although the vaccine against smallpox exists, as a rule, only medical workers and servicemen take place, this means that the rest of the population is in the area of \u200b\u200bpotential risk, if this type of biological weapon is applied in practice. How can I release a virus? Probably in aerosol form or even old-fashioned: sending an infected person directly to the target area.
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In the fall of 2001, letters containing white powder began to come to US Senate offices. When the rumor was about the fact that the envelopes contained the disputes of the mortal bacterium Bacillus Anthracis, which causes the Siberian ulcer, a panic began. Letters with Siberian ulcers infected 22 people and killed five.
Due to high mortality and resistance to environmental changes, the bacteria of Siberian ulcers are also classified as a category of biological weapons of class A. Bacteria lives in the soil, and often grazing animals usually come into contact with bacteria disputes during food search. A person can infect the Siberian ulcer, touched to the dispute, inhaling or swallowing it.
In most cases, the infection of the Siberian ulcer occurs through the contact of the skin with disputes. The longest form of infection of the Siberian ulcer is an inhalation form in which disputes fall into the lungs, and then the cells of the immune system carry them to the lymph nodes. There, disputes begin to multiply and allocate toxins that lead to the development of problems such as fever, breathing problems, fatigue, muscle pain, an increase in lymph nodes, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. Among the infected inhalation form of the Siberian ulcers, the highest level of mortality is observed, and, unfortunately, all five victims of the 2001 letters fell ill with this form.
The disease is extremely difficult to picked up under normal conditions, and it is not transmitted from man to man. Nevertheless, medical workers, veterinarians and military personnel usually pass vaccination. Along with the lack of widespread vaccination, "long-life" is another trait of Siberian ulcers. Many harmful biological bacteria can survive only under certain conditions and for a short period of time. However, the Bacterium of Siberian ulcers can lie on the shelf for 40 years and is still a fatal threat.
These properties made a Siberian ulcer "favorite" biological weapons among the relevant programs worldwide. Japanese scientists performed experiments on a person using aerosol spraying of the Bacteria of Siberian ulcers in the late 1930s in the occupied man hurray. British troops experimented with a bomb from Siberian ulcers in 1942, at the same time they managed so thoroughly pollute the Greenard Island polygon that 44 years later, 280 tons of formaldehyde took place to disinfect the soil. In 1979, the Soviet Union accidentally released the bacterium of the Siberian ulcers into the air, thereby killing 66 people.
Today, the Siberian ulcer remains one of the most famous and most dangerous types of biological weapons. Numerous biological weapons programs for many years worked on the production and improvement of the virus of Siberian ulcers, while there is a vaccine, mass vaccination will become viable only if the mass attack occurs.
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Another famous killer exists in the form of an Ebola virus, one of the ten different types of hemorrhagic fevers, unpleasant diseases accompanied by plentiful bleeding. Ebola became the title of news in the 1970s, when the virus spread in Zaire and in Sudan, killing hundreds of people. In the following decades, the virus retained its deadly reputation, spreading with lethals throughout Africa. Since its discovery, at least seven outbreaks occurred in Africa, Europe and the United States.
Named by the name of the region of the Congo, in which the virus was first discovered, it (virus), as scientists suspect, usually lives in the native, African animal owner, however, the exact origin and the area of \u200b\u200bthe disease are still a mystery. Thus, the specialists managed to detect the virus only after he infected the person and primates.
An infected person transmits a different virus through contact healthy people with blood or other secretions infected. In Africa, the virus is especially skillfully proven itself, because it is transmitted through hospitals and clinics. The incubation period of the virus lasts 2-21 days, after which the symptoms begin to appear at an infected person. Typical symptoms include headache, muscle pain, sore throat and weakness, diarrhea, vomiting. Some patients suffer from internal and external bleeding. Approximately 60-90 percent of cases of infection end with death after the disease occasionally within 7-16 days.
Doctors do not know why some patients go to the amendment faster than others. They are also unknown to treat this fever, since there is no vaccine. There is only a vaccine for one form of hemorrhagic fever: yellow fever.
Although many doctors worked on to develop methods of treating fever and prevent its outbreaks, a group of Soviet scientists has turned the virus into biological weapons. Initially, they encountered the problem of growing Ebola in laboratory conditions, more success in this field they managed to achieve, cultivating the virus of the Marburg hemorrhagic fever. However, in the early 1990s, they managed to solve this problem. While the virus is usually distributed through physical contact with the secretions of an infected person, researchers observed how it spread through the air in laboratory conditions. The ability to "produce" weapons in aerosol form only strengthened the position of the virus in class A.
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Black death destroyed half of the population in the 14th century, it is horror that continues to disturb the world even today. Named "big death", only the prospect of returning this virus causes shock people. Today, some researchers believe that the first pandemic in the world may have been a hemorrhagic fever, however, the term "plague" continues to bind with other biological weapons of class A: Bacteria Yersinia Pestis.
The plague exists in two main strains: bubonic and pulmonary. The bubonic plague usually spreads through the bites of infected fleas, but can also be transmitted from person to person through contact with infected organism fluids. This strain is named "in honor of" swelling glands in the groin area, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe armpits and neck. This tumor is accompanied by fever, chills, headache and fatigue. Symptoms appear in two or three days, and usually last from one to six days. If you do not start treatment within 24 hours after infection, then in 70 percent of deaths not avoid.
The pulmonary form of plague is less common and applies to air-droplet. The symptoms of this kind of plague include high temperature, cough, bloody mucus and difficulty breathing.
The victims of the plague, and the dead, and living, historically served as effective biological weapons. In 1940, there was a flash of the plague epidemic in China after the Japanese from the aircraft threw bags of infected fleas. Scientists of several countries still investigate the possibility of using the plague as biological weapons, and since the disease is still found in the world, a copy of the bacteria is relatively easy to get. With appropriate treatment, the fatal outcome in this disease is lower than 5 percent. Vaccines still do not exist.
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Female outcome when infected with this infection occurs in five percent cases. A small gram-negative wand is a tularemia causative agent. In 1941, the Soviet Union reported on 10,000 cases of the disease. Later, when a fascist attack on Stalingrad next year occurred, this number has grown to 100,000. Most cases of infection are recorded on the German side of the conflict. Former Soviet researcher of biological weapons Ken Alibek argues that this surge in infection was not an accident, but was the result of the biological war. Alibek will continue to help with Soviet scientists to develop a vaccine against Tularemia up to its escape in the United States in 1992.
Francisella Tularensis occurs in nature no more than 50 organisms and is especially common among rodents, rabbits and hares. A person is usually infected through contact with infected animals, through insect bites or in food intake food.
Symptoms are usually manifested in 3-5 days depending on the method of infection. The patient may experience heat, chills, headache, diarrhea, pain in muscles, pain in the joints, dry cough and progressive weakness. Symptoms similar to pneumonia can also develop. In the absence of treatment, breathing failure and death. The disease usually lasts no more than two weeks, but at that time infected people are mostly chained to bed.
Tularemia is not transmitted from man to man, it is easily treated with antibiotics and it can be easily avoided, putting a vaccine. However, this zoonotic infection is very quickly transmitted from the animal to a person, it is also easy to pick up if it spreads in the form of an aerosol. The infection is especially dangerous in aerosol form. Because of these factors, after the end of World War II, USA, the United Kingdom, Canada and the Soviet Union began to work on what makes biological weapons from it.
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Make a deep breath. If the air that you just was inhaled contains a botulinum toxin, you will not know about it. Death bacteria have no color, no smell. However, after 12-36 hours, the first symptoms appear: impairment of vision, vomiting and difficulty swallowing. At that moment, your only hope is to receive antitoxine botulism, and the faster you get it, the better for you. In the absence of treatment, the muscles paralysis occurs, and later the palsy of the respiratory system.
Without breathing support, this poison can kill you within 24-72 hours. For this reason, death toxin also applies to the class A of biological weapons. However, if you are easy at this point, help and support in work will be provided, then mortality from 70 percent immediately falls to 6, however, it will take time for recovery, since the poison paralyzes the nerve endings and muscles, actually cutting off the signal from the brain. For a complete recovery, the patient will need to "grow" new nerve endings, and for this month. Despite the fact that the vaccine exists, many experts are concerned about its efficiency and side effects, so it is not used wide.
It is worth noting that this neurotoxin can be found at any point of the globe, especially a lot of it in the soil and marine sediments. People are primarily facing toxin as a result of the use of spoiled food, especially canned food and meat products (for example, canned fried mushrooms and fish).
His power, accessibility and cure restrictions made botulinum toxin favorite among biological weapons programs in many countries. In 1990, members of the Japanese sect Aum Sinin (AUM SHINRIKYO) sprayed toxin in protest against some political decisions, however, they did not manage to call the mass death of the people they expected. When the cult, however, in 1995 he switched to GAZ ZARIN, they killed dozens of people and wounded thousands.
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Numerous biological organisms prefer grown food crops. Getting rid of cultures from their enemies is an important task for a person, since there will be a panic, riots without meals.
A number of countries, especially the United States and Russia, have devoted a lot of research on diseases, as well as insect, affecting food crops. The fact that modern agriculture is usually focused on the production of one culture only complicates the case.
One of these types of biological weapons is rice pyriculiosis, a disease caused by the imperfect pyricularia oryzae mushroom. The leaves of the affected plant become grayish and filled with thousands of fungal arguments. These disputes quickly multiply and spread from the plant to the plant, significantly worsening their characteristics or in general by destroying the harvest. Although plant-resistant breeding is a good protective measure, rice pyrical sizes is a serious problem, because you need to withdraw not one strain of resistance, but 219 different strains.
This type of biological weapon is not valid. However, it can lead to serious starvation of poor countries, as well as to financial and other losses and problems. A number of countries, including the United States, use this rice disease as biological weapons. By this time, a huge amount of harmful fungus was collected in the United States to make potential attacks in Asia.
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When Genghis Khan invaded Europe in the 13th century, he accidentally lifted terrible biological weapons. Cattle plague is caused by a virus that is closely related to the measles virus, and it affects cattle and other ruminant animals, such as goats, bison and giraffes. The condition is very contagious, causes an increase in temperature, loss of appetite, dysentery and inflammation of the mucous membranes. Symptoms are preserved for about 6-10 days, after which the animal, as a rule, dies from dehydration.
For centuries, people constantly led the "sick" cattle in various corners of the globe, thereby infecting millions of cattle individuals, as well as other domestic and wild animals. From time to time, the outbreak of the disease in Africa was so strong that they turned the starving lions in the cannibals, and forced shepherds to commit suicide. However, due to the mass program of vaccination, the plague of cattle was taken under control in most countries of the world.
Although Genghis Khan took possession of these biological weapons by chance, many modern countries, such as Canada and the United States, are actively exploring this type of biolating.
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Viruses are adapted and evolved over time. New strains appear, and sometimes close contacts between people and animals allow dangerous diseases to "jump" to the top of the food chain. With a constant increase in the number of people on Earth, the emergence of new diseases is inevitable. And every time a new flash appears, you can be sure that someone necessarily begins to consider it as a potential biological weapon.
The virus of Nipachs belongs to this category, since it became known only in 1999. The flash occurred in the Malaysian region called Nipach, infecting 265 and killing 105 people. Some believe that the virus naturally develops in the body of the Krylnov. The exact nature of the virus transfer is uncertain, however, experts believe that the virus can be distributed with a close physical contact or with contact with the body of a patient human body. On cases of transmission from person to man have not yet been reported.
The disease usually lasts 6-10 days, causing symptoms, varying the lungs, similar to flu, to severe, similar to encephalitis or brain inflammation. In some cases, the patient is characteristic of drowsiness, disorientation, convulsions, moreover, a person can even go to whom. Death occurs in 50 percent of cases, and currently there is no standard method of treatment or vaccination.
The virus of the Nips, along with other new pathogenic microorganisms, is classified as a class with biological weapons. Although no country, according to official data, is not engaged in the study of this virus as a possible use of it as biological weapons, its potential is wide, and 50% mortality makes this virus mandatory for observation.
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What happens when scientists begin to dig in the genetic structure of hazardous organisms, alone her?
In the Greek and Roman mythology, Chimera is a combination of lion body parts, goats and snakes in one monstrous form. Artists of the end of the Middle Ages often used this image in order to illustrate the complex nature of evil. In modern genetic science, chimeric organism exists and contains the genes of a foreign body. Given his name, you probably suggested that all chimeric organisms should be terrible examples of a person's invasion in nature to implement their vile purposes. Fortunately, it is not. One of these "chimer", combining the genes of ordinary cold and poliomyelitis, can help in the treatment of brain cancer.
However, everyone is clear that the abuse of such scientific achievements is inevitable. Genetics have already discovered new ways to increase the killer force of such biological weapons, such as the OSP and Siberian ulcer by specially adjusting their genetic structure. Combining genes, however, scientists can create such a weapon that can cause the development of two diseases at the same time. In the late 1980s, Soviet scientists worked on the "Chimera" project, during which they studied the possibilities of combining smallpox and fever Ebola.
Other possible scripts of abuse is the creation of several bacteria strains that require certain triggers. Such bacteria subside for a long period of time, while again do not become active with the help of special "stimuli". Another possible version of chimeric biological weapons is the impact of two components on the bacterium so that it began to work effectively. Such a biological attack will lead not only to higher mortality of people, but can also undermine society confidence in health initiatives, to employees of humanitarian organizations and to government members.
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Biological weapons - these are pathogenic microorganisms or their disputes, viruses, bacterial toxins, infected people and animals, as well as their means of delivery (rockets, artillery shells, mortar mills, aircraft bombs, automatic drifting balloons) intended for massive damage to the living force and population of the enemy, Agricultural animals, crops crops, food infection and water sources, as well as deterioration of certain types of military equipment and military materials. It is a weapon of mass lesion and prohibited according to the Geneva Protocol of 1925.
The affecting effect of biological weapons is based primarily on the use of the pathogenic properties of pathogenic microorganisms and toxic products of their livelihoods.
Biological weapons are used in the form of various ammunition, its equipment uses some types of bacteria and viruses that excite infectious diseases that take appearance of epidemics. It is intended to defeat people, agricultural plants and animals, as well as to infect food and water sources.
The varieties of biological weapons are entomological weapons that use insects to attack the enemy, and genetic weapons intended for selective destruction of the population on racial, ethnic, sexually or other genetically due to the sign.
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The use of biological weapons, as a rule, are:
- battle parts missiles;
- aviation bombs;
- artillery mines and shells;
- packages (bags, boxes, containers), discharged from airplanes;
- special devices scattering insects from airplanes;
- divergent methods.
In some cases, for the spread of infectious diseases, the enemy can leave the infectious items in advance: clothes, products, cigarettes, etc. Disease in this case can occur as a result of direct contact with infected objects. It is also possible to deliberately leaving the waste of infectious patients so that they are the source of infection among the troops and the population. When gaping ammunition, equipped with bacterial recipe, a bacterial cloud is formed, consisting of the smallest droplets of liquid or solid particles suspended in the air. The cloud, spreading through the wind, dissipates and settles on the ground, forming an infected area, the area of \u200b\u200bwhich depends on the number of recipes, its properties and wind speed.
History of application
The use of peculiar biological weapons was known in ancient Rome, when the cities of the dead from the plague were transferred during the siege of the cities for the fortress walls to cause the epidemic among the defenders. Such measures were relatively effective, since in closed spaces, with a high population density and with a tangible lack of hygiene funds, such epidemics developed very quickly.
The use of biological weapons in modern history.
- 1346 - The beginning of the bubonic plague in Europe. There is a suggestion that this terrible "gift" made Khan Janibek. After an unsuccessful attempt to seize the city of Cafe (modern Feodosia), he threw a human corpse into the fortress who deceased from the plague. Together with merchants, in fear, fled from the city, the plague arrived in Europe.
- 1763 - The first specific historical fact of the use of bacteriological weapons in the war is the deliberate distribution of smallpox among the Indian tribes. American colonizers moved the blankets in their camp, infected with the causative agent of Phase: among the Indians there was an epidemic of smallpox.
- 1942 - United Kingdom: Operation Vegetarian plan for the use of Siberian ulcers in the war with Germany, carried out development and testing of weapons on the Gruinard island. The island was infected with the disputes of Siberian ulcers, 49 years remained on quarantine, was declared purified in 1990.
- - - Japan: A Manchurian squad 731 against 3 thousand people - as part of the development. As part of the tests - in combat operations in Mongolia and China. Also prepared plans for use in the districts of Khabarovsk, Blagoveshchensk, Ussuriysk, cheats. The data obtained was based on the basis of developments in the bacteriological center of the US Army Fort Detriton (Maryland) in exchange for protection against the persecution of the Employees of the detachment 731. However, the military-strategic result of combat application turned out to be more than modest: according to the "report of the International Scientific Commission for Investigating the Facts of the Bacteriological War in Korea and China" (Beijing, 1952) The number of victims of artificially induced plague from 1940 to 1945 was approximately 700 people, There was even less than the number of collapshed in the framework of the development of prisoners.
- On the same, the "report of the International Scientific Commission to Investigate the facts of the bacteriological war in Korea and China" (Beijing, 1952), during the Korean War, bacteriological weapons were used against the DPRK ("Only from January to March 1952 in 169 districts of the DPRK There were 804 cases of applying bacteriological weapons (in most cases - bacteriological airbabes), which caused epidemic diseases "). According to the assistant Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR Vyacheslav Ustinov, after the war he studied the available materials and came to the conclusion that the use of bacteriological weapons cannot be confirmed by Americans.
- According to some researchers, the epidemic of the Siberian ulcers in Sverdlovsk in April 1979 was caused by leakage from the Laboratory of Sverdlovsk-19 of the Siberian bacteria or was the diversion of the American intelligence. These points of view considered the Russian microbiologist M. Supotitsky. According to the official Soviet version, the cause of the disease was the meat of infectious cows. April 4, 1992, in the 13th anniversary of the tragedy, B. N. Yeltsin signed the Law of the Russian Federation "On improving the pension provision of citizens of citizens who died due to the disease of the Siberian ulcer in the city of Sverdlovsk in 1979," equating the Sverdlovsk accident to Chernobyl and actually recognizing the responsibility of the military bacteriolers for the death of innocent people. The version of random leakage from the plant for the production of bio-based (Sverdlovsk-19) was once again confirmed by the President of the Russian Federation a month later.
- In -1962, in the territory of the modern Japanese prefecture, Okinawa United States conducted tests on spraying the dispute of pathogenic fungus causing pyriculiosis riceAccording to the results of which they managed to "achieve partial success in collecting useful information".
Features of biological weapon
With damage to bacterial or viral agents, the disease does not occur immediately, almost always there is a hidden (incubatory) period during which the disease does not show itself by external signs, and the amazed does not lose with combat capability. Some diseases (plague, cholera, Siberian ulcers) are capable of transmitted from a sick person healthy and, quickly extending, cause epidemics. To establish the fact of the use of bacterial agents and determine the type of pathogen is quite difficult, since neither microbes nor toxins have neither color, no odor, nor taste, but the effect of their action can manifest itself through a large period of time. The detection of bacteria and viruses is possible only by conducting special laboratory studies, which requires considerable time, which makes it difficult to carry out measures to prevent epidemic diseases.
Modern strategic means of biological weapons are used by mixtures of viruses and spores of bacteria to increase the likelihood of death when applied, however, they are used, as a rule, strains that are not transmitted from a person to man to geographically localize their impact and avoid due to these own losses.
Bacterial products
Bacterial products include pathogenic bacteria and toxins produced by them. For the equipment of biological weapons, causative agents or toxins of the following diseases can be used.
Biological weapons have many drawbacks: its action is difficult to predict and control. There is also no guarantee that it is the enemy army that will incur more losses. Therefore, biological weapons are most often used in history in a state of hopelessness and despair.
Plague, Kaffa fortress, 14th century
The first use of bacteriological weapons occurred in 1346, during the siege of the Crimean city of Kuffa (the current Feodosia). Then the fortress was the largest trading point of the Genoese Republic. Khan Golden Horde Janibek entered the open war with the Genoese, because of the frequent complaints about the fact that the colony traders are unprincipled by the slavery of the children of Tatar nomads who endure hunger due to natural disasters.
From the busy center of the slave trade, Cuffi city, the plague quickly spread over Europe, Asia and Africa.The lack of fleet did not stop the Golden Core Khan in the desire to shift the greed of the Genoesers. But anger alone was not enough, the walls of the fortress were almost invulnerable to the Tatar attack. In addition, in the ranks of the warriors, the Horde began to spread the plague, even more relaxed the position of the attackers.
Then Janibek ordered to cut the body of a warrior who deceased from infection, and throw a catapult into the city. The turning point in the confrontation did not happen - the horde was forced to retreat soon due to the final loss of combat capability. But for Cuff, this event did not pass without a trace. The epidemic that spread among the inhabitants of the Genoese colony rapidly hit all the new major cities of Europe, Asia, North Africa. So the Pandemic of Plague or Black Mor began, during which more than half of the population died.
Spa against Indians, 18th Century
In 1763, British troops were in a difficult situation. Having lost a significant number of soldiers and forts in battles with the Indians, the colonists also encountered an empty epidemic. The disease raged in Fort Pitt, even more relaxing the position of the British.
The activist and entrepreneur William Trent, the former captain during the siege, was the first to invite the infect of Indians.
The indigenous population of America did not have immunity to diseases brought from Europe, such as OPA, TIF, Cor.The tool for the implementation of the plan was blankets and clothes from the hospital, where sick of the British. This tactic was agreed in writing between General D. Amherst and Colonel G. Buke. Infected things were handed over to two negotiators of the Derovar tribe, who had a visit to Fort in June 1763. After this event, there were outbreaks of smallpox among the Indian population.
To this infection, indigenous Americans were more vulnerable than colonists. Therefore, so insignificant contact was enough to spread the aggressive virus. There are also evidence that in the subsequent missing blankets continued to give "as a sign of respect" or sell Indians, which provoked the spread of the disease and a rapid decrease in their number.
Tiff, plague and cholera - combat bacteria from the Japanese laboratory
The Japanese to the creation of bacteriological weapons approached consistently. A secret scientific center was organized under the control of the microbiologist Siro Issi, where the strains of pathogenic microorganisms were developed. The pathogens of typhoids, plague, cholera, which cultivated in the laboratory, were modified in such a way as to apply maximum damage and quickly lead to death.
For the development of biological weapons, the trials of prisoners of war were tested.Inhuman experiments were carried out on Chinese, Soviet and Korean prisoners of war.
There is known for the use of bacterial weapons in battles against the Soviet Union and Mongolia in 1939. Special detachments of suicide volunteers have infected the Argun River, Halkin-Gol and Hulustay at once with several infections - abdominal typhoid, Siberian ulcers, Chuma, Cholera. As a result, 8 people died from dangerous infections from the Soviet-Mongolian troops. The rest of the 700 sick managed to help. But the Japanese side suffered much more, after this event the number of sick tithes, cholera and plague exceeded 8 thousand people.
Another event, when bacteriological weapons applied, was the battle at Cande 1941 - during the Japanese-Chinese war. In the city and its surroundings from the aircraft were reset infected fleas and grain-grain - bait for rats. As a result, an epidemic broke out, which for 4 months was abandoned by almost 8 thousand inhabitants of Chande.
This event served as a reason for the evacuation of the rest of the inhabitants. The Japanese took control of a deserted city destroyed by artillery shelling during an optional siege.
Tularemia, 1942, Battle near Stalingrad
In the turning battle with the Nazi troops on the side of the Soviet Union, field mice were performed. The plan was like this: rodents delivered to the location of the dislocation of German tanks, should have damaged the wiring in them and output. In addition, mice are carrying tularemia, bacterial infection that causes fever and general intoxication. It leads to death infrequently, but bringing the enemy from a combat-ready state is completely capable.
Mice were out of order German technique and distributed Tularevia among German soldiers.In early November 1942, before the preparing the onset of the Red Army, the mice were sent to the operation. Specially teaching rodents was not necessary, they just looked for warmth and food, thus climbed into the tanks and gnawed the insulation of electrical chains. A significant part of the tanks was indeed disabled, and the sick tanks were a bit, the reason for their illness, German doctors quickly installed.
Siberian ulcer, 1944, Plan "Vegetarian"
At the beginning of World War II, W. Churchill has prepared a plan for large-scale defeat of Nazi Germany by the disputes of Siberian ulcers. The name of the operation is "Vegetarian". The pathogen of this disease retains viability, while in the soil, over the century, and maybe longer. Mortality from the Siberian ulcers occurring in the gastrointestinal form is 60%.
Gruntard Island, where the tests of biological weapons conducted, is considered one of the dangerous places on the planet.After the spread of pathogenic disputes on pastures in Germany, impressive results were expected. Infection of agricultural livestock would lead to massive case and food crisis. Also, millions of people were to suffer from illness, half of which will not survive. Another result is the unsuitability of poisoned territories for the lives of people for many decades.
Airplanes and infected loaves were ready for 1944, but the British leadership did not give an order to implement a plan, since the course of the war by that time radically changed. In 45, infected billets were destroyed in a waste-margin factory.
The place where the tests of biological weapons were carried out, the Scottish Island of Grünard, was considered dangerous even for short-term stay. And after the solid measures held in 1986, when the top layer of the soil was removed and the remaining formaldehyde was impregnated, nobody wishes here.
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