BIOLOGICAL WEAPONs OF MASS DESTRUCTION PRESENTED BY- Dr. Gopendra Chandra kamal PG Scholar 2nd Year GUIDED BY- Dr. Ashwini Kumar S Bharati PROFESSOR DEPARTMENT OF AGADA TANTRA EVUM VIDHI VAIDHYAKA SRI DHARMASTHALA MANJUNATHESHWARA COLLEGE OF AYURVEDA AND HOSPITAL, HASSAN, KARNATAKA AMRUTAM-2017

DEFINITION WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION (WMD) A weapon of mass destruction is weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans or cause great damage to human-made structures, natural structures, or the biosphere. TYPES- NUCLEAR WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION CHEMICAL WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION AMRUTAM-2017

Biological Agents as WMD Biological agents are living organisms or their toxic products that can kill or incapacitate people, livestock, and plants.Categorised into three groups: CATEGORY A CATEGORY B CATEGORY C Anthrax Brucellosis Nipah virus Botulinum toxin Water borne threats e.g. vibrio cholera H1N1, a strain of influenza Viral Haemorrhagic Fever Food poisoning threats e.g. salmonella, E. coli SARS Bubonic Plague Ricin and Abrin Small pox Q fever Tularaemia Staphylococcal enterotoxin B Typhus, Viral encephalitis AMRUTAM-2017

ANTHRAX It is non-contagious disease caused by the spore- forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. MOT- it is propagated by terrorist in powder form by sending letters smeared with spores. Spores enter the body by inhalation and skin contact. Symptoms-blisters, ulcers, fever, bloody diarrhoea, nausea, haemoptysis Treatment- antibiotics, anthrax vaccination as prophylaxis AMRUTAM-2017

BOTULISM Caused by toxin generated by bacterium Clostridium botulinum. MOT- it is propagated as lyophilized powder enclosed in rockets and bombs. Symptoms-paralysis and respiratory failure Treatment- botulinum anti-toxin. AMRUTAM-2017

PLAGUE It is caused by Yersinia pestis, a bacterium found in rodents and their fleas. MOT- it is transmitted by releasing infected rat fleas kept in porcelain containers attached to projectiles. Symptoms-swollen and tender lymph nodes called buboes. In pneumonic plague, person has fever, chest pain, blood stained sputum. Treatment- antibiotics, sunlight and drying AMRUTAM-2017

SMALLPOX It is caused by highly contagious virus variola major. MOT- it is spread through aerosol and infected material. Even though eradicated, virus samples are present in laboratories of some countries. Symptoms-fever, headache, fatigue, diarrhoea, vomiting, specific rash. Treatment- no specific drug to treat and vaccination not done these days. AMRUTAM-2017

VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC FEVER It is caused by members of filoviridae (Ebola and Marburg) and arenaviridae (Lassa and Matchupu). It is believed that some terrorist groups in Africa possesses Ebola virus culture. Death is due to multi-organ failure and hypovolemic shock. Treatment- no available treatment, vaccine in process of development. AMRUTAM-2017

BRUCELLOSIS Caused by Brucella bacteria. The bacteria affects cattle, dogs, pigs etc. MOT- air, water, food articles are contaminated by terrorists. Bacteria can also transmit through skin wounds and unpasteurised milk. Symptoms-fever, headache, back pain, encephalitis. AMRUTAM-2017

RICIN TOXIN SALMONELLA Ricin is obtained from Ricinus communis. MOT- inoculation via ricin-laced projectiles or distribution of powder. SALMONELLA By contaminating food stuffs in restaurants and grocery stores and lead to severe food poisoning AMRUTAM-2017

TRENDS FAVOURING BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS Low cost and widespread availability. More efficient in terms of coverage /Kg. Advances in biotechnology have made production easy. Agents are largely natural pathogens and simulate existing diseases. Have an unmatched destructive potential. The lag time between infection and appearance of symptoms is longer than with chemical exposures. AMRUTAM-2017

Documented Intentional Use The Red Indians in North America were given the smallpox infected blankets. Japan used plague bacilli in China during 1932-1945 causing 260,000 deaths. Dispersal of anthrax spores due to accident in production unit in USSR caused 68 deaths in 1979. Shigella dysenteriae employed in Texas, USA in 1996. Anthrax spores through postal envelopes in USA in 2001 leading to 22 cases and 5 deaths. AMRUTAM-2017

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PREVENTION AND MITIGATION MEASURES Awareness about the threats and risks associated with Biological warfare. Only cooked food and boiled/chlorinated/filtered water should be consumed. Insects and rodents control measures adopted. An early accurate diagnosis. Mass immunization programs in the suspected area. AMRUTAM-2017

ACTION PLAN FOR BIOLOGICAL DISASTER Constitution of a Crisis Management Structure. System of Surveillance. System of Epidemiological Investigation. Confirmation of pathogens by laboratory set up. Training to Different level workers AMRUTAM-2017

Discussion Biological agents can be disseminated by aerosols, water, food, animals and person to person. Use of biological agents for destructions is from ages. Kautilya Arthashastra Book 14 deals with secret means used to disrupt the environment such as use of gunja, bhallataka, different types of smokes, outbreak of rats and dogs.. It is estimated that an aerosolized release of 100kg of anthrax spores in a city of a size of Washington D C have the potential to cause up to three millions of deaths. an aerosolized release of little as 100kg of anthrax spores upwind of a metro city of a size of Washington D C has been estimated to have the potential to cause up to three millions of deaths. AMRUTAM-2017

Conclusion Even a small-scale biological weapon attack could cause massive morbidity and mortality, overwhelming the local medical capabilities. At a time when terrorism is at its peak, possibility of use of BWMD is more than ever, so the Government, defence agencies, medical experts and most importantly the common citizens must be aware. It is important to pay attention to official instructions via radio, television, and emergency alert systems. AMRUTAM-2017

References Gautam Biswas. Review of forensic medicine and Toxicology. 3rd edition, New Delhi:jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (p)Ltd.;2015 Kautilya's Arthashastra: Book XIV, Secret Means. Translated by R. Shamasastry. Bangalore: Government Press, 1915, 515-520. Weapon of mass destruction. (2017, January 8). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 01:49, January 8, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Weapon_of_mass_destruction&oldid=758877597 AMRUTAM-2017

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