BIOSECURITY AND BIOTERRORISM 

INSTRUCTIONS: Please answer the following in a complete, yet concise, manner using APA format for your citations and references. Remember to clearly delineate quotations and paraphrasing through the use of quotation marks or other conventional methods.

At the graduate school level, primary or government reference sources are preferred over secondary sources such as Webnews pages, reviews, and encyclopedias. With respect to Wikipedia: “Mr. Wales [the founder of Wikipedia] said that he gets about 10 e-mail messages a week from students who complain that Wikipedia has gotten them into academic hot water. “They say, ‘Please help me. I got an F on my paper because I cited Wikipedia’” and the information turned out to be wrong, he says. But he said he has no sympathy for their plight, noting that he thinks to himself: “For God sake, you’re in college; don’t cite the encyclopedia.” (Young, 2006)

I. Using the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs (DEMA) document titled “Definitions of Terrorism” found in the Webliography (pdf) or Class Announcements (link) address the following: International and national agencies have a difficult time defining the term “terrorism”. Discuss in one concise paragraph the reason(s) underlying the problem in creating a universal definition. Then, select a total of two definitions- one definition from each of two different entities- to illustrate differences and/or similarities between those definitions.

II. Having a common set of terms and concepts is important for communication in any specialized subject , what is the difference between:

a. A bacteria and a virus.

b. Morbidity and mortality.

c. Virulence and pathogenicity.

d. Intoxication and Infection

e. Dissemination and Transmission.

f. A toxin and a poison.

g. A biocrime and bioterrorism.

h. Biodefense and biosecurity.

III. Prof. Edwards considers Linnean binomial nomenclature extremely important (she’ll even deduct points) when writing about biological threat agents and emerging infectious diseases. What is Linnean binomial nomenclature? Give a total of three examples with correct usage by selecting one organism each from the Category A, B, or C priority agent list.

IV. Consider the NIAID definitions for Category A, Category B and Category C Priority Pathogens. Describe in your own words the differences between each category. Consider carefully your use of terms such as dissemination, morbidity, transmission etc and work toward their proper usage in your short 5-6 line response.

V. Intentional covert release of a biological threat agent and a sudden outbreak of an emerging infectious disease (EID) can each have major national and international ramifications. Yet how does one distinguish between a bioattack and a naturally occurring epidemic? Compare and contrast the epidemiological indicators such as disease presentation in a given population, number of patients, unusual presentations and unusual response to treatment between a covert bioattack and an EID epidemic. (Google research hint: CDC .gov epidemiology biologic agent) 

VI. What factors might a terrorist consider when selecting a biological threat agent for use in an attack? 

Reference:

Young, J.R. (2006) Wikipedia founder discourages academic use of his creation. The Wired Campus. 

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/wikipedia-founder-discourages-academic-use-of-his-creation/2305