DATE=3/10/98
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
NUMBER=2-227929
TITLE=BIOLOGICAL TERRORISM (L-ONLY)
BYLINE=COLE MALLARD
DATELINE=ATLANTA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: TERRORISM, AS A POLITICAL ACT, HAS BEEN AROUND FOR AGES.
HOWEVER, THE TERM "BIOLOGICAL TERRORISM" HAS BECOME VISIBLE ONLY
RECENTLY, IN LIGHT OF INTERNATIONAL CONCERN OVER IRAQ'S SUSPECTED
BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS PROGRAM. THE TOPIC IS ON THE AGENDA AT THE
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN
ATLANTA, GEORGIA. V-O-A'S COLE MALLARD IS AT THE CONFERENCE AND
FILES THIS REPORT.
TEXT: ACCORDING TO A MEDICAL EXPERT, THERE ARE SEVERAL REASONS
WHY BIOLOGICAL TERRORISM HAS NOT BEEN TAKEN SERIOUSLY, IN THE
PAST. DOCTOR D-A HENDERSON IS WITH THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH IN BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.
/// HENDERSON ACTUALITY ///
BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS HAVE SO SELDOM BEEN USED OVER THE
CENTURIES THAT PRECEDENT WOULD SUGGEST THAT THEY WOULD
NOT BE USED, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. THE SECOND POINT
IS THAT THEIR USE IS SO MORALLY REPUGNANT THAT THE
BELIEF IS THAT NO ONE WOULD POSSIBLY DEIGN TO USE
BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS. THE THIRD CONCEPTION ON THE PART OF
SOME IS THAT IT SO TECHNOLOGICALLY DIFFICULT TO PRODUCE
AND TO DISPERSE THOSE WEAPONS THAT IT'S QUITE OUT OF THE
REACH OF ANY LABORATORY, EXCEPT ONE THAT IS HIGHLY
SOPHISTICATED. AND LASTLY, THERE ARE THOSE WHO REGARD
THIS MUCH AS THEY DID THE NUCLEAR WINTER OF AN EARLIER
TIME, AS BEING JUST SO INTOLERABLE, SO DISASTROUS THAT
WE CAN'T EVEN ADDRESS IT -- CAN'T THINK ABOUT IT. EACH
OF THOSE PRESUMPTIONS IS JUST FALLACIOUS. IT'S DEAD
WRONG AND WE KNOW THAT NOW.
/// END ACTUALITY ///
DOCTOR HENDERSON SAYS THE NUMBER OF COUNTRIES ENGAGED IN
BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS EXPERIMENTATION HAS GROWN FROM FOUR IN THE
1960'S TO 11 IN THE 1990'S.
HE SAYS THIS INCREASE INDICATES THE NEED FOR CONCERN ABOUT THE
FUTURE FOR SEVERAL REASONS. AMONG THEM IS THAT THIS TYPE OF
WARFARE IS FAR WORSE THAN EITHER EXPLOSIVES OR CHEMICALS. THE
DOCTOR SAYS THERE IS INSUFFICIENT FUNDING, AT PRESENT, TO DEAL
EFFECTIVELY WITH THE THREAT POSED TO CIVILIAN POPULATIONS. HE
ADDS THAT RECIPES FOR MAKING INFECTIOUS BIOLOGICAL AGENTS, SUCH
AS ANTHRAX, SMALL POX, AND PLAGUE, ARE EASILY AVAILABLE ON THE
INTERNET AND THEY ARE INEXPENSIVE TO PRODUCE. HE ALSO SAYS
DETECTING OR INTERFERING WITH ONE'S INTENT TO USE THESE WEAPONS
IS NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE.
///OPT/// DESPITE THE SEEMINGLY-OVERWELMING PROBLEM THAT
BIOTERRORISM CAN CAUSE, THERE ARE WAYS TO DEAL WITH IT. DOCTOR
DAVID FRANZ IS WITH THE U-S ARMY MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF
INFECTIOUS DISEASES AT FORT DETRICK, MARYLAND. HE SPOKE AT THE
CONFERENCE ON THE TOPIC OF MANAGING PEOPLE EXPOSED TO BIOLOGICAL
WARFARE AGENTS.
// OPT // HE SAYS RESOURCES EXIST TODAY THAT CAN TREAT THIS
FORMIDABLE PROBLEM.
/// OPTIONAL FRANZ ACTUALITY ///
WE HAVE, THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, A PUBLIC HEALTH
CAPABILITY AND RESPONSE CAPABILITY THAT COULD READILY BE
APPLIED IN THE CASE OF A BIOLOGICAL TERRORIST INCIDENT.
AND, WE WOULD BE USING ORGANIZATIONS AND CAPABILITIES OF
W-H-O (THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION), AND PAHO (PAN
AMERICAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION)[FOR EXAMPLE] AND OUR C-D-C
(CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL) HERE IN THIS COUNTRY AND
IN THE DEPARTMENTS OF DEFENSE IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES TO
RESPOND. SO WE HAVE CAPABILITIES TO RESPOND, BUT IT'S
NOT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DEFINITIVELY SAY "YES, WE'RE
READY NOW." WE'VE CERTAINLY COME A LONG WAY IN THE LAST
COUPLE OF YEARS, I WOULD SAY IN THE U-S, AND EVEN
COLLABORATIVELY IN OTHER COUNTRIES.
/// END OPTIONAL ACTUALITY //
DOCTOR HENDERSON SAYS IT'S IMPORTANT NOW TO START COMMUNICATING
AND EDUCATING PEOPLE, WORLDWIDE, ABOUT BIOTERRORISM.
/// HENDERSON ACTUALITY ///
I BELIEVE IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE, AS A WORLD COMMUNITY,
BEGIN TO TALK ABOUT THIS SUBJECT IN REALISTIC TERMS --
IN TERMS OF HOW REPUGNANT IT IS, HOW MORALLY
REPREHENSIBLE IT IS AND GRADUALLY TO BUILD A CONSENSUS,
BUILD A SET OF ACTIVITIES -- WHETHER IT BE FROM
CONVENTIONS AND MEASURES OF VERIFYING THAT COUNTRIES ARE
NOT ENGAGED IN THIS ACTIVITY -- SO THAT EVENTUALLY WE
BASICALLY CONDEMN BIOLOGICAL WARFARE IN SUCH UNEQUIVOCAL
TERMS THAT NO ONE WOULD EVER USE IT AGAIN.
/// END ACTUALITY ///
[SIGNED]
NEB / WD / WD
11-Mar-98 12:13 AM EST (0513 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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