Hidden threat: the use of bacteriological weapons
What is this type of weapon, and what is its danger?
Bacteriological biological weapons
Bacterial organisms, and namely: bacteria, viruses, rickettsia, fungi and toxic products of their vital activity, used for military purposes using live infected disease carriers (insects, rodents, ticks, etc.) or in the form of suspensions and powders — this is the basis on which bacterial biological weapon. The spread of the pathogen can occur in absolutely any way: from animals to plants. In any case, this is the most dangerous threat to humans. Bacterial agents can be used with the help of special rockets, artillery shells, aircraft bombs and other ammunition. Bacterial biological weaponshas high combat effectiveness, allowing it to hit large areas with little expenditure of forces and resources. It causes damage to the body, even in negligible quantities. Infectious diseases caused by the use of certain types of pathogens, under certain conditions, can spread from one source of infection to another and cause an epidemic. The damaging effect appears after a certain time. By identifying the type of pathogen in a timely manner, it is possible to reduce the consequences of using this type of weapon to a minimum, however, even under favorable circumstances, traces remain in the form of complications.
Use of bacteriological weapons
According to Article 23 of the Annex to the 4th Hague Convention of 1907 and according to the Geneva Protocol, use of bacteriological weaponsnot acceptable. However, not all countries have ratified this official ban. This raises fears for the future of humanity, since developments in the technology of creating destructive substances are proceeding by leaps and bounds. Even despite the ban, the use of bacteriological biological weapons has been carried out more than once. You don’t have to look far for examples: the First and Second World Wars. It is also known that after World War II, the development of bacteriological weapons, as well as methods and means of their use, received powerful development in the USA, Great Britain, Canada, Germany, Israel and some other countries. These states plan touse bacteriological weaponsalong with nuclear and chemical. The United States has declared its desire to create means of armed warfare of “low cost” and high efficiency, making it possible to hit a person without destroying material assets. Most likely, these plans have already been translated into reality. The constant threat of the use of bacteriological weapons forces us to take the most serious measures: creating a system of anti-epidemic, sanitary, hygienic and therapeutic measures, familiarizing the population and military personnel with measures to protect against infections, providing the population with specially equipped shelters, protecting food, water, plants, and animals. The classification of personal protective equipment also includes some methods of counteracting danger, albeit for a short period of time. The main method ofthe use of bacteriological weaponsis contamination of the ground layer of air. When ammunition explodes or generators are triggered, an aerosol cloud is formed, along the path of which toxic particles contaminate the area.
Damaging factors of bacteriological weapons
Mainlydamaging factors of bacteriological weaponsare the pathogenic properties of pathogenic microorganisms and toxic products of their vital activity. The main threat is the inability to detect damage to the body at the initial stage of infection, since the first period of action is hidden. During the latent period of action, the affected person does not notice negative changes and continues to function as before. Unlike a household gas explosion, the leak of which can be felt by yourself or a detector will react to it, the appearance of toxic substances of biological weapons cannot be detected in any way. The damaging factors of bacteriological weapons make themselves felt only after some time with the sudden appearance of symptoms of the disease. The following are used as bacterial agents to infect people: pathogens of bacterial diseases — plague, tularemia, brucellosis, anthrax, cholera; causative agents of viral diseases — smallpox, yellow fever, Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis; pathogens of rickettsiosis — typhus, spotted fever; causative agents of fungal diseases — coccidiodomycosis, pocardiosis, histoplasmosis. Delivery of bacterial biological agents is carried out in the same ways as for nuclear and chemical weapons: aircraft bombs, shells, mines, missiles, aerosol generators and other devices.