Source: Homeland Security Today
The prospect of a biological weapon attack by terrorists has again hit the headlines in the US this week. Jeffrey Runge, assistant secretary of Homeland Security for Health Affairs, told the House Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology, that Al Qaeda continues to plot terror attacks that would include biological agents, and the terror group has focused specifically on the use of anthrax as a weapon.
Runge warned: "Given the challenges we face in assessing current terrorist capabilities and identifying plots, it is unlikely that we will receive actionable or specific warning of an imminent biological attack. Furthermore, many of these deadly biological agents, including anthrax, are readily available in nature, relatively easy to procure, culture, and weaponize,"
Runge added that If a virus or a biological attack such as airborne anthrax spread through a mid-sized city it may not be detected for several days. And then, many people would suddenly flood into doctors’ offices and hospital emergency rooms, overwhelming the health-care providers who’d be attempting to treat the ill and find out the cause. By then, the illness would have progressed and spread, become difficult to treat and its effect would be felt at every level of society.
