What is biological warfare?

Biological weapons spread pathogens or toxins that can injure or kill people, animals, or plants.

They typically have two components: a weaponized agent and a delivery system. Biological weapons can be used for the contamination of livestock or agricultural products to cause food shortages and economic loss, the creation of environmental catastrophes, the introduction of widespread illness, fear, and mistrust among the public, in addition to strategic or tactical military applications.

Weaponized substance

It is possible to create biological weapons utilizing almost any disease-causing agent (such as bacteria, viruses, fungus, prions, or rickettsiae) or toxin (poisons derived from animals, plants, or microorganisms, or comparable chemicals generated synthetically). To make the agents better suited for widespread manufacture, storage, and distribution as weapons, they can be improved from their original state. Aflatoxin, anthrax, botulinum toxin, foot-and-mouth disease, glanders, plague, Q fever, rice blast, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, smallpox, and tularaemia are only a few examples of historical biological weapons programmes.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q. What is a biological weapon example?

Ans. Lethal biological weapons may be able to kill large numbers of people, but they cannot easily destroy large amounts of equipment, buildings, or infrastructure. However, most nations have agreed to outlaw the entire class due to the indiscriminate nature of these weapons, as well as their ability to spark broad pandemics, their difficulties in managing disease impacts, and the mere dread they instill.

To make the agents better suited for widespread manufacture, storage, and distribution as weapons, they can be improved from their original state. Aflatoxin, anthrax, botulinum toxin, foot-and-mouth disease, glanders, plague, Q fever, rice blast, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, smallpox, and tularaemia are only a few examples of historical biological weapons programmes.