Hazardous Materials, Alpha Virus and Disaster Management

Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Intergovernmental and Governmental Organizations. 3. Complex Humanitarian emergencies. 4. Alphaviruses and Disasters. 5. Hazardous Material disasters. 6. Biological Wars and their Effects. Bibliography. Index.

Alphaviruses are a genera of arthropodborne viruses in the Togaviridae family that give rise to spectrum of diseases in humans ranging from asymptomatic infections to fatal encephalitis. There are 28 types of alphaviruses classified by their antigenic properties. In the context of viral bioterrorism, several alphaviruses are particularly Interesting due to their susceptibility to cultivation, their ability to cause fatal or serious illness and a lack of measures available for their control. These viruses could be weaponized through their production and stabilization in either aerosolized wet or dried forms. The specific viruses likely to be used as a bioterrorist agent are Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE), Western equine encephalitis (WEE) and Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE). In nature, alphaviruses transmit their diseases by vectors, mostly mosquitoes. However, it is aerosol transmission that leads to the concern of these viruses being manufactured as biological weapons since VEE, WEE and EEE remain highly infectious in the aerosol state.

Bioterrorism, however, is not new. The 14th century siege of Kaffa (now in Ukraine) was aided by an epidemic of plague when the attacking Tatar force catapulted cadavers of plague victims in the city. Closer to home, the Rajneesh cult contaminated salad bars across Oregon with Salmonella typhimurium, causing 751 cases of enteritis and 45 hospitalizations in 1984. As recently as 1995, the Aum Shinrikyo cult (Japan) attempted to spread terror by means of anthras, sarin gas, or botulinum toxin on at least 8 different occasions.