Medical Aspects of Biological Warfare

Medical Aspects of Biological Warfare

This is the third edition of Medical Aspects of Biological Warfare and aims to highlight the current state of science on individual agents and toxins and general response capabilities to prevent knowledge gaps and serve as a reference source for the DoD. It also touches on other important topics in the field such as general medical countermeasures, biosafety, and international policy on the issue.

2018

While there were many agents discussed in detail, common themes among the most concerning to security were ease of aerosolization, incubation periods, lack of adequate vaccines or therapeutics and difficulty of diagnosis. The author repeatedly stressed the importance of a high index of suspicion for these agents, as the case for many is that prompt diagnosis is the only hope for recovery since treatment needs to be initiated within a short time period. Furthermore, the author emphasized the need for continued research into vaccines and therapeutics for biological warfare agents. A path he suggested was to pursue vaccine research on communicable diseases and focus on antibody-based therapies for those that are non-communicable as a way to maximize funding. He also expressed his concerns for the future of bioterrorism and emerging infectious diseases as both natural factors and intentional genetic modification make the emergence of novel threats more likely.