Small pox and letter bombs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Small pox and letter bombs - Essay Example However, in the hands of a terrorist group, the most effective method to cause a massive outbreak would be to launch a covert attack using airborne methods. According to Pavlin (1999), a covert attack that exposes people to the smallpox virus, spores is the most likely scenario the world can encounter in the case of a bioterrorism attack (p. 532). The robust nature of the smallpox virus makes it possible to be disseminated through the air as an aerosol. Thus, chances of the virus spreading from one person to the other through the air are very high. Covert attacks may result in the massive outbreak of the disease after about two weeks of incubation. In order for the potential terrorist to cause a major outbreak of smallpox, they would firstly, weaponize the virus. Weaponization includes making sufficient quantities of the virus in stable forms. Covert attacks would have more effects because the outbreak goes completely unnoticed. The use of air-borne route to deliver the virus is still the most effective because low cost and easily accessible equipment can be used to produce aerosol with small particles. In ideal scenarios, the particles can remain in the air for longer durations and easily enter the lungs of people. Since the method is airborne massive outbreaks may be achieved (Klietmann & Ruoff, 2001). Other than bioterrorism, letter bombs are the other terrorist threats facing people. Historically, the likelihood of a person receiving a letter containing suspicious substances or device is low. However, it is important to remain very vigilant for suspicious packages because they may contain a mail bomb or any other threat. Many indicators can help identify suspicious letters or packages. It is worthy to check the size of the letter or package. Large packages are suspicious of such threat but flat, and thin envelopes may rarely contain the threat of a bomb (Burke, 2006). Checking