Question and Answer

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Below are questions we asked experts when gathering our research.  We decided to post them so everyone could read them.

Q:  If some of the older diseases, i.e. German measles and rubella, were released, would we be able to make vaccines fast enough to prevent widespread and/or fatal repercussions?

A:  No, since these diseases have been virtually wiped out, there is no need to stockpile vaccines.  This means that if an attack did occur with some of the older diseases, there would be a limited number of vaccinations available and people would certainly die before more vaccines could be produced.

Q:  What is the military doing to protect the civilian population?

A:  Actually, it's not the job of the military to protect us from this type of threat.  This falls under the jurisdiction of the Department Health and Services. There isn't much you can do against a biological weapons attack.  There is no telltale sign, there is no warning; the only thing you can do is try to find out when it is going to happen and try to prevent it.

Q:  How easy would it be for terrorists or other countries to make or obtain Biological Weapons?

A:  Very easy, actually; probably even easier to make it than to obtain it.   Go outside, find some dirt, and scoop it up.  You are holding Anthrax in your hand.   Yes, there is Anthrax in the dirt.  We are breathing Anthrax most of the time we are outdoors.  However, the Anthrax in dirt is not very concentrated; that is why we aren't dropping like flies when we go outside.  Using dirt, almost any Microbiologist could make Anthrax.  All he or she would have to do is concentrate some dirt, and then cultivate it to create Anthrax.

Q:  If an infection did occur, what would the Department of Health and Services do to prevent it's spread?

A:  The only thing that could be done would be to quarantine the infected area and try to catch those who got away before the quarantine was imposed.  The latter might not be necessary if the agent used was not contagious.  Anthrax, for example, is not contagious while Ebola and Smallpox are.

Q:  How long until the vaccines for Biological agents are available to the public?

A:  Vaccinations from Biological Agents are not likely to become a common theme.  First, because a company would not invest in developing a vaccine for the public that would be useful only in the rare event the area they are living in is attacked by biological agents.  Another reason would be the price.  Take Hepatitis B; it is much more common than Anthrax and it takes 3 shots to get vaccinated, each costing $70 ($210 total.)

Q:  Which biological weapons, in your opinion, pose the greatest threat to the planet?

A:  It all depends on your motive.  Anthrax is mainly used as a death tool for wiping out a small area completely.  Anthrax has a very high death rate; it is not contagious, meaning you would have to be where it was released to get it.  Smallpox on the other hand has only a 30% death rate; however, it is extremely contagious.  A man with Smallpox once entered a hospital for a few minutes and then left; 25 people came down with Smallpox.  As you can see, while Anthrax would be used as a tool of death, Smallpox would be used as a tool of fear.

Q:  Lets say we’re at war with another nation. What are the chances of them using biological weapons technology?

A:  Almost zero.  Why?  Because we would nuke them.   There would little of the country (unless it was somewhere big like China or Russia) left.  I don't think any government would risk their country just to use a new tool of war.  Where conventional weapons would anger us, Biological Weapons would really set us off.

Q:  Are biological weapons more of a threat that chemical weapons? Why?

A:  Again, it all depends on what your motive is.  Chemical Weapons have a higher death rate and are quicker; however, they are detectable by machines and humans and are not contagious.  Biological Weapons are undetectable and many are contagious.   So, Chemical Weapons would be more of a military weapon because of its fast kill rate, while Biological Weapons would be more of a terrorist weapon because of our inability to detect them and their contagious nature.