Joshua Walker
SCHOOL
Biological Weapons: Smallpox Used as a Weapon?
In the last decade, members of various governmental anti-terrorism agencies and the department of homeland security in the United States have discussed the significant possibility that the Smallpox virus will reemerge as an act of bioterrorism by enemies of the United States. Major concern of this virus initially developed after the terrorist attacks employed on September 11, 2002. The following essay provides a concise lineage of historical accounts concerning the use of the Smallpox virus as an agent of warfare and an analysis of whether or not this virus should be considered a central …show more content…
threat to the United States if spread as a act of bioterrorism. The Smallpox virus is not unknown to the world of warfare; however, it is imperative to mention that the Smallpox virus may not have been used as a weapon upon its first emergence.
Because of this, the following essay will reveal the entire history of Smallpox—not solely the accounts of times when it was used as a weapon.
It has been argued by many scholars that Smallpox first emerged as a terminal virus as far back as the 10th century (Bray, 1996). R.S. Bray (1996) is amongst the group of scholars who discern that Smallpox materialized in the Middle East during 900-1000 A.D. Bray justifies his contention by arguing that the scars found on ancient mummies (a palpable symptom of this disease) provide substantial evidence that a strand of the Smallpox virus affected people who lived in and around Egypt during this time period. During the 16th century, Native Americans (specifically tribes living in the western part of America) contrived the Smallpox disease, most likely stemming from European explorers who were affected (Bray, 1996). Two centuries later, a Smallpox epidemic in the Massachusetts area infected over 6,000 people and killed one in seven Bostonians (Byerly, 2002). There are other non-military related accounts of the spread of smallpox throughout the world; however, one of the first uses of smallpox as a weapon was in the United States. Timothy Bungum (2003) …show more content…
explains:
Concurrent with the American Revolutionary War a smallpox epidemic swept North America, causing the deaths of more people than were killed in the war. That epidemic is the subject of the recent book, Pox America … This text details, among other events, the significant impact the disease had on formulating the military strategies used by General George Washington, himself a smallpox survivor … During the times of our first president 90% of the people who attained the age of 21 years had survived smallpox ... After struggling mightily with the decision, Washington ordered all Continental troops to be inoculated in 1777. This was the first large-scale state sponsored public health program in American history (p. 281)
In regards to this information, it is clear that not only are Americans aware of the detriments of smallpox as a weapon, they are also keen to enemies using it as a means of achieving bioterrorism.
After many successful vaccines were discovered and utilized, the concern for deaths caused by the smallpox virus significantly decreased (Fenn, 2001). After massive immunizations were administered, the United States proclaimed in 1980 that the smallpox virus was eliminated in America (Fenn, 2001). With vaccines to the smallpox being successful, one might wonder why the military and agencies of the government are concerned about Smallpox being used as a weapon. The answer is best explained by Timothy Bungum:
The vaccine, however, does carry rare but serious risks. It is estimated that 15 of every million vaccinated for the first time would face life-threatening complications, and one or two would die. Severe reactions are less common among those who were previously vaccinated. Typical reactions include a sore arm, fever, and swollen glands. The most frequent severe reaction occurs when the vaccine escapes the inoculation site, often because the person vaccinated intentionally touched the site and then touched either themselves or someone else. This “secondary vaccinia” can cause blindness if it spreads to the eyes. (p.
281)
Furthermore, even though Americans have found a vaccination that eradicates the smallpox virus, there is a possibility that biochemists who work for military agencies of enemy countries will someday create a new strand of this virus; one which is not affected by the smallpox vaccine. In conclusion, the smallpox virus, although highly fatal at one time, is no longer a major threat to Americans. Yet, it is imperative that the United States government implement many tactics to increase awareness of this disease in order to decrease the likelihood of large population infectivity. In the world of bioterrorism and chemical warfare, the American government is wise to be concerned and prepared for the spread of the smallpox virus, or any biochemical weaponry for that matter. However, it is just as important that Americans be cautious and aware of all fatal viruses that were previously used as weapons so that if enemy countries/terrorist groups opt to utilize them, the American fatality rate will be minimal.
References
Bray, R. S. (1996). Armies of pestilence: The impact of disease on history. New York: Barnes and Noble Books.
Bungum, T. (2003). Smallpox: A review for health educators. American Journal of Health Education, 34(5): 278-283.
Byerly, C.R. (2002). Of smallpox and empire. Reviews in American History, 30(2): 204-211.
Fenn, E.A. (2001). Pox America. New York: Hill and Wang Publishers.
Stephenson, J. (2002). Experts focus on infective agents of bioterrorism. J Am Med Assoc., 287( 5): 575-576.