by The next big threat facing humanity is bioterrorism, according to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. In a 2015 TED Talk, the multi-billionaire philanthropist argued that a pandemic was an issue when the world wasn’t ready to deal with it. Another different issue is bioterrorism.
According to Interpol, bioterrorism refers to the “intentional release of biological agents or toxins intended to harm or kill humans, animals, or plants with the intent to intimidate or coerce a government or civilian population to further political or social goals.”
In an interview with the British “BBC”, Bill Gates revealed that the biggest future threat to humanity was “bioterrorism, which is really terrible”. Bioterrorism and pandemics are almost the same thing, Gates defended, because they expose humanity to dangerous and even deadly diseases, but “bioterrorism is a little harder to defend against, because whoever tries to do it, does it. consciously and understands their defense system so they can try to design around it.”
According to Interpol, there is sufficient information available to show that certain individuals and terrorist groups have the ability and intent to use biological agents to cause harm to society. The international law enforcement agency has developed an operational manual for investigating potential biological and chemical terrorism on the dark web to assist intelligence officers and investigators around the world.
An effective response to a biological incident depends on the coordination of several key sectors, Interpol said. “Therefore, structured prevention, preparedness and response strategies are essential.” For the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), in the United States, a bioterrorist attack would likely involve the bacteria that cause anthrax.
Symptoms vary depending on how the bacteria enter the body—usually through the skin, lungs, or gastrointestinal tract—which also determines the type of illness. Symptoms of cutaneous anthrax, the most common type, may include a cluster of small blisters or bumps that may be itchy, as well as painless skin sores with a black center that most often appear on the face, neck, arms, or hands. All types of anthrax can “eventually spread throughout the body and cause death if not treated with antibiotics,” the CDC noted. Inhaled carbon, on the other hand, “is almost always fatal. However, with aggressive treatment, approximately 55% of patients survive.”
Other biological weapons that could be used, according to the CDC, are smallpox virus (the virus that causes smallpox). a disease called glanders, which commonly affects horses and was once used as a biological weapon during the war. and meliodosis, an infectious disease caused by microbes that occur naturally in some parts of the world, such as Southeast Asia and northern Australia.
Bill Gates has called for increased investment in technologies to detect and respond to bioterrorist attacks, as well as strengthening international cooperation and global health systems to ensure the world is better prepared against biological weapons. The good news is that every little bit of work done to prepare for future pandemics will be “extremely useful for bioterrorism,” he revealed. The bad news is that “we’re not as activated as I think we should be.”
