Defence Against Bioterrorism

272 Pages·2018·4.42 MB·English

by  Vladan Radosavljevic

NATO Science for Peace and Security Series A:
Chemistry and Biology
Defence Against
Bioterrorism
Methods for Prevention and Control
Edited by
Vladan Radosavljevic
Ines Banjari
Goran Belojevic
AB3
Defence Against Bioterrorism
NATO Science for Peace and Security Series
This Series presents the results of scientific meetings supported under the NATO
Programme: Science for Peace and Security (SPS).
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Following a transformation of the programme in 2006, the Series has been re-named and
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supported under the programme earlier, may be found in the NATO Science Series.
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Series A: Chemistry and Biology
Defence Against Bioterrorism
Methods for Prevention and Control
edited by
Vladan Radosavljevic
Military Medical Headquarter, Ministry of Defence, Belgrade, Serbia
Ines Banjari
Faculty of Food Technology, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek,
Osijek, Croatia
and
Goran Belojevic
Institute of Hygiene and Medical Ecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of
Belgrade, Serbia
Published in Cooperation with NATO Emerging Security Challenges Division
Results from the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Defence against
Bioterrorism: Methods for Prevention and Control
Belgrade, Serbia
16–17 March 2017
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018932373
ISBN 978-94-024-1265-9 (PB)
ISBN 978-94-024-1262-8 (HB)
ISBN 978-94-024-1263-5 (e-book)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1263-5
Published by Springer,
P.O. Box 17, 3300 AA Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
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© Springer Science+Business Media B.V., part of Springer Nature 2018
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Preface
Terrorism is a major threat to the modern world, as for terrorists rules, limits and
ethics are nonexistent in the fulfilment of their main goals – horror and panic in a
population and social instability and chaos in a state. Bioterrorism is just a matter of
choice in this endeavour, the most sophisticated one compared to cold weapons and
chemical weapons and firearms. Bioterrorism is “not if, but when and how exten-
sive” it will be. Weaponized biological agents may be available on the black market,
and there is also the danger of a potentially dreadful coalition between scientists and
terrorists. Since Amerithrax in 2001, there are no proofs of deliberate epidemics, but
some unusual epidemiological events such as Escherichia coli O104-H4 outbreak in
Germany in 2011 were thoroughly investigated on the possibility of a biological
attack. On the other hand, pandemics like H1N1 or outbreaks of SARS and H5N1
avian influenza overburdened public health systems in numerous countries and
pointed at weak spots of the system. Strengthening and improving counter-epidemic
measures at primordial, primary, secondary and tertiary levels is of utmost impor-
tance. This is a prerequisite for strong impediment against natural, accidental and
deliberate epidemics. Furthermore, intelligence and security are key factors related
to timely neutralization of a potential deliberate act.
Political instability, migrations and the rise of extremism are just few of the key
factors related to the current menace of terrorism worldwide. Countering bioterror-
ism is one of the priorities of national health and security systems worldwide. As a
contribution to this endeavour, the NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme
assigned the editors of this volume the topic “Defense Against Bioterrorism:
Methods for Prevention and Control”. The top experts worldwide gathered for the
NATO Advanced Research Workshop held in Belgrade from 16 to 17 March 2017
and agreed on a creative task of making a multidisciplinary platform against bioter-
rorism threats and accidental and natural outbreaks. It includes means for differen-
tiation between intentional and natural epidemics, all four levels of prevention,
aspects of intelligence and security, preservation of food supply chain, management
of panic and ethical aspects.
This scientific volume provides theoretical and practical information on the
bioshield against bioterrorism, as well as accidental and natural outbreaks.
v
vi Preface
Knowledge and professional experience from preventive and clinical medicine,
security, intelligence, safety and other areas are systematically classified in primor-
dial, primary, secondary and tertiary levels of prevention. Special emphasis is put on
improving the bioshield. Applications of approaches presented in the volume may
reduce the possibility of occurrence and consequences of bioterrorism and acciden-
tal and natural outbreaks.
The bioshield presented in the volume is highly effective (comprised of four
levels of prevention, with additional strategies against bioterrorism), affordable
(based on the existing public health and security infrastructure), applicable (may be
activated within few hours of an outbreak or a bioterroristic attack) and practical
(especially important in decision making). The editors hope that the volume will
serve as a tool for development, improvement and/or implementation of the bioshield
against bioterrorism.
The editors are thankful to the reviewers for the time and effort invested to pro-
vide expert, insightful and constructive suggestions which improved the chapters
significantly:
Dr. Gigi Kwik Gronvall, senior associate at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health
Security and visiting faculty at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public
Health
Dr. John McConnell, editor-in-chief of The Lancet Infectious Diseases
Dr. Seth Carus, distinguished research fellow at the National Defense University,
Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction, Washington, DC
Special gratitude goes to the NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme
for full support in publishing this volume.
Belgrade, Serbia Vladan Radosavljevic
Osijek, Croatia Ines Banjari
Belgrade, Serbia Goran Belojevic
September 2017
Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Vladan Radosavljevic
2 Synthetic Biology, Dual Use Research, and Possibilities
for Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Eckard Wimmer
3 The Global Threats from Naturally Occurring Infectious
Diseases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Alessandro Mancon, Davide Mileto, and Maria Rita Gismondo
4 Refugee Crisis As a Potential Threat to Public Health . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Raynichka Mihaylova-Garnizova and Vasil Garnizov
5 A Perspective on the Strategy of Intelligence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Randall Murch
6 Comparison of the Available Methods of Differentiation
Between a Biological Attack and Other Epidemics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Goran Belojevic
7 Primordial and Primary Levels of Biothreat and Bioterrorism
Prevention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Vladan Radosavljevic
8 Secondary Level of Biothreat and Bioterrorism Prevention . . . . . . . . 109
Vladan Radosavljevic
9 Preventative Medicine: Research and Use of Medical
Countermeasures During an Outbreak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Inger Damon
vii
viii Contents
10 Rapid and Low-Cost Tools Derived from Plants to Face
Emerging/Re-emerging Infectious Diseases and Bioterrorism
Agents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Rosella Franconi, Elena Illiano, Francesca Paolini, Silvia Massa,
Aldo Venuti, and Olivia Costantina Demurtas
11 Panic Disorder During a Bioterroristic Attack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Milan Latas
12 Safety and Security Regulations Against Biological Threats . . . . . . . 151
Anna Bielecka-Oder
13 The Role of Bioforensics in Medical Bio-Reconnaissance . . . . . . . . . . 177
Lothar Zöller and Gelimer H. Genzel
14 The Role of Informal Digital Surveillance Systems Before,
During and After Infectious Disease Outbreaks: A Critical
Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Avi Magid, Anat Gesser-Edelsburg, and Manfred S. Green
15 Strategic Aspects of Countering Bioterrorism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Katarina Strbac and Branislav Milosavljevic
16 Food and Bioterrorism – The Case of Airline Catering . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Ines Banjari
17 Food Safety, Standards and Norms Against Bioterrorism: Food
Safety and Hazards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Adela Krivohlavek
18 Environment and Bio-Terrorism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Stéphanie Watier-Grillot, Olivier Cabre, Gabriel Bédubourg,
Jean-P aul Demoncheaux, Christian Hupin, and Benjamin Queyriaux
19 Ethical Aspects of Bioterrorism and Biodefence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Elizabeta Ristanovic
20 Concluding Remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Vladan Radosavljevic, Ines Banjari, and Goran Belojevic
Chapter 1
Introduction
Vladan Radosavljevic
Abstract Bioterrorism is an ongoing threat to global peace and health because
weaponized agents are available to potential terrorist groups either directly or
through scientists who may be willing to cooperate with terrorists. Biological weap-
ons would have larger disastrous global health effects compared to chemical weap-
ons. Therefore, there is a need for merging endeavors of the scientific community on
the tasks of developing methodologies for prevention of biological attack/threat, for
biological weapons control and for completing a biodefence system. This mono-
graph is a result of such endeavors.
1.1 Control of Biological Weapons
The scientific community should focus on two strategies:
1.1.1 Strategy of Intelligence
There are no easily identifiable footprints marking bioweapons development as it is
nearly indistinguishable from legitimate biological science and biotechnology, and
such efforts are easily hidden in plain sight. Gathering intelligence on national level
and limiting the illicit transfer of materials, technologies and knowledge, are not
easy tasks. Furhter, the intelligence community should develop capability of tactical
warning of a planned bioterrorist attack.
In the aftermath of a bioattack the authorities want to know who the attacker was,
how the attack was carried out and how the next attack could be stopped? Some of
the multibillion dollar biodefence systems, such as Bio Watch in the U.S.A. that has
been developed for years does not provide information on who and how attacked,
V. Radosavljevic (*)
Military Medical Headquarter, Ministry of Defence, Crnotravska 17, Belgrade, Serbia
University of Defence, Belgrade, Serbia
e-mail: [e-mail]
© Springer Science+Business Media B.V., part of Springer Nature 2018 1
V. Radosavljevic et al. (eds.), Defence Against Bioterrorism, NATO Science
for Peace and Security Series A: Chemistry and Biology,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1263-5_1