Infectious Agents with Bioterrorism Potential

2021-05-17
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Bioterrorism agents are pathogenic bacteria or organic pollutants that are used to produce death and disease in humans, animals or plants for terrorist purposes. The agents are found in nature and could be modified to increase their virulence making them resistant to vaccines (Espejo, 2013). Infectious agents with bioterrorism potential categorize the communicable diseases in the alphabetical order whereby the description of the illness is well explained, and the symptoms and control were known. Category A agents with the bioterrorism potential are the highest priority agents since the organisms that result in the disease pose a risk to the national security and are easily transmitted from one person to another.

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Moreover, they led to high mortality rates and had a potential for major public health impact that causes public panic and social disruption. The treatment and exclusion of these agents require special action for public health preparedness. Another highest priority agent is the category B. The organisms here are temperately easy to distribute thereby result to low mortality rates. The treatment requires improved diagnostic capacity and disease observation. Therefore, the riskiness of the disease diminishes as the curve goes down from the category A to Z meaning that at category Z the disease is less risky compared to the category A agents.

One of the bioterrorism agents discussed as a potential biological weapon will be anthrax. Anthrax is a disease caused by an infectious gram- positive rod shaped bacterium known as Bacillus anthracis which occurs in four forms. They include intestinal, skin, injection and inhalation. The result of the disease could lead to pneumonia, blood infection, and later death. The anthrax bacteria live in an inactive form known as spores. The spores lived naturally in soil and transmitted in the skin of the animals whereby the radiant heat in animals results in them becoming active. Therefore, the active spores effects to serious illness resulting in death in animals.

Also, anthrax may be experienced in humans whenever they consume meat affected by the disease. Additionally, they can get infected after inhaling the spores which after entering the body they become active causing serious sickness which lead to instant death. There several types of anthrax that enters the body through different ways (Zubay, 2008). One type includes cutaneous anthrax which enters the body through a cut or other sore in the skin. Another type is known as gastrointestinal anthrax which supersedes the body through eating uncooked meat from an infected animal. Inhalation anthrax results from breathing the anthrax spores which is the most common way that people gets exposed to the disease and even with the treatment it is lethal. However, it should be noted that anthrax cannot be transmitted from an infected person to another since Anthrax is spread by contact with spores.

The last way to contract the disease is through injection. Injection anthrax results from injecting the body using illegal drugs. However, it is the minimal way one can get attacked by the disease rather people should be cautious in all the ways to prevent getting diagnosed with the sickness (Espejo, 2013). Moreover, some measures can be used to control the disease. They include correct disposal of dead animals. It helps reduce the risk of contracting the sickness from the contamination of the dead body. Another control measure is getting vaccinated whenever an outbreak arises. It prevents from serious attack by the bacteria and early treatment stop death. Therefore, anthrax should be identified as a fatal disease, and people should be cautious in not contracting the disease.

References

Espejo, R. (2013). Bioterrorism. Detroit, MI: Greenhaven Press.

Zubay, G. L. (2008). Agents of bioterrorism: Pathogens and their weaponization. New York: Columbia University Press.

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