Biological Agents and Terror Medicine

In the last decade, terror has become an increasingly global problem. More people have become radicalized, the know-how to use weapons of mass destruction (WMD) is easily accessible by Internet and electronic media, and precursors and basic ingredients are easily purchased. Terrorists are innovative and we now face a new era of nonconventional terrorism: chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear (CBRN), as well as cyber terrorism. The deliberate use of (WMD–CBRN) by hostile states or terrorists and of naturally emerging infectious diseases that have a potential to cause illness on a massive scale could pose a national security threat.1 Resulting panic and economic damage could paralyze a country.