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Article: Anthrax Weaponization
- Article from:
- Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence, andSecurity
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Anthrax Weaponization
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BRIAN HOYLE
The lethality of inhalation anthrax, combined with the ability of the lethal payload to be delivered in the spore form, has made anthrax an attractive candidate for weaponization. In addition, a vaccine to anthrax does exist, but is not yet widely available. Thus, troops can be vaccinated against the disease while the general population of the enemy remains unprotected. Many of these characteristics that make anthrax a desirable military weapon also make the disease a desirable weapon of the terrorist.
As of 2003, intelligence sources indicate that at least 17 nations around the globe have offensive biological weapons programs. How many ...