Combatting Bioterrorism

Concern that a terrorist group might attack civilian populations or agriculture by releasing deadly pathogens has grown in the past decade. Failed attempts by the Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo to release botulinum toxin and anthrax in Tokyo on several occasions in the early 1990s, and the 2001 anthrax letter attacks in the United States seem to confirm these fears. However, there were only five fatalities in the US case and none in the Japanese case. The question naturally arises: How serious is this threat and, if it is serious, what strategy should states take to combat it? This article draws on US experience to outline a strategy for combating bioterrorism that is general enough to apply to most states, especially ones with well developed public health and medical infrastructures.