BioWarfare and Cyber Warfare a new Kind Of War: Biowarfare And Info warfare

4Anthrax Vaccines

In experiments on guinea pigs, for example, MDPH gave 100 per cent protection against only one of the five main natural strains of anthrax. In some studies, anthrax killed between 25 per cent and 96 per cent of guinea pigs that had been immunized with MDPH. Primates may be less susceptible.

So far, MDPH has been tested only with natural strains of anthrax. In December of 1998, Andrey Pomerantsev of the State Scientific Centre of Applied Microbiology at Obolensk near Moscow published details of an anthrax strain that he had genetically engineered to produce bacterial toxins called cereolysins. This Russian strain resists six different antibodies including MDPH.

Experts fear that Iraq may have acquired the Russian strain. The UN Special Commission set up to investigate Iraq’s biological weapons has found records of Russian sales of biological equipment and materials to Iraq as late as 1995. Pomerantsev’s strains were probably developed before 1991, when funding for the Obolensk laboratory dried up.

The search for better anthrax vaccines is hampered by the difficulty of testing them on humans. Hardly anyone in the West is now naturally exposed to anthrax, and it is unacceptable to expose people deliberately. This is why British and American troops are still using the MDPH vaccine that was developed in the 1960s, when workers in wool factories were still exposed to anthrax from sheep.

4.1Ciprofloxacin

Ciprofloxacin or Cipro is a high potent, high-priced antibiotic used to treat inhaled anthrax.

When ingested or inhaled in large quantities, anthrax is far more deadly as it disseminates more widely within the body. Ingesting is normally not a threat for in the U.S. Farm animals are vaccinated and meat is routinely inspected. But the lethal case in Florida indicates that inhaled anthrax may pose a growing threat. A victim who breaths in the white powder may feel fine for a week, the flu-like symptoms such as fatigue, fever and muscle aches begin to take hold. Chest pains and labored breathing follow within 24 hours, followed by shock and death in the worst scenario.

Inhaled anthrax is highly treatable if detected within the first few days of exposure, before the organism multiplies to a density detrimental to the host. Drugs are usually rather ineffective once the symptoms begin to show.

Cipro is the first drug used to treat any suspected inhaled case of anthrax, but the vast majority of infections can be managed with penicillin or tetracycline once the spores have been evaluated in the laboratory.

The standard treatment regimen involves 60 days of antibiotic therapy, or 30 days of medication and a series of three-vaccine cocktail shots. Intravenous Cipro, along with clindamycin – an antibiotic that works as an antitoxin are first administered. This combination may be effective because even if the bacteria are killed, the toxins they produce continue to circulate through the body. Finally, rifampin – a drug to treat tuberculosis that can penetrate white blood cells – is added to the treatment regimen.¹³

Anthrax is a deadly germ with real potential as a weapon, but our fear now poses a greater threat than the bacterium itself. Despite events in Florida, New York, Nevada and District of Columbia, a civilian chance of contracting anthrax is still vanishingly small.¹⁴ Taking Cipro may help us feel less vulnerable, but the drug itself has a range of adverse effects. In the face of fear, Valium – a drug to suppress anxiety - may be a healthier choice.

Not that anthrax is a threat to be taken lightly. The infection is rarely fatal when contracted through a skin lesion. In this case, the patient may develop flu-like symptoms and nasty sores. Most recover even without treatment, though antibiotics are almost always curative.

Experts are adamant in urging people not to stockpile medication. Many of the people buying Cipro simply want to keep them on hand for an emergency, but others are ready to take the medication without any exposure. Cipro is rarely prescribed to pregnant women or anyone under 18 except in known cases of anthrax exposure. When prescriptions are not available from doctors, people turn to opportunists online. A 30-day prevention package costs about $299. The package would not fully protect a person who has actually inhaled anthrax because the spores can take six weeks to germinate.

It would not cause a healthy adult much direct harm unless the “patient” is also taking asthma medications such as theophylline. But taking Cipro as a prophylactic precaution is never a good idea. Abusing any antibiotic is a sure way to breed pathogens that can resist it. By taking the drug as a hedge against anxiety, we will exhaust its power against a range of bacterial menaces.

Cipro is still a potent, broad spectrum antibiotic. Because it was introduced only 14 years ago, it can still eliminate bugs that have developed resistance to older medications. It is still our best cure against gonorrhea, infectious diarrhea, typhoid fever, and hospital acquired pneumonia. By stockpiling Cipro and using them casually, we virtually guarantee that all of those diseases will become less treatable, and the effectiveness of the drug against anthrax diminished. For now, our best defense against anthrax is to leave the drug alone. To squander it is to surrender.

Cipro can also cause a range of bizarre effects from psychological problems and seizures to ruptured Achilles tendon or shooting pains to swollen joints. In animal studies, it can disrupt the formation of cartilage. Cipro can be fatal if taken with the asthma medication theophylline. Most antibiotics can cause nausea, but the user cannot take antacids for they reduce the effectiveness of Cipro.