In 2001, a week after 9/11, bio-terrorism reared its ugly head in the US when anthrax spores were found in letters by post to a few newspapers and to two senators. Anthrax is a serious disease caused by inhaling the bacteria-containing spores. The spores killed five people and caused many others to fall ill, some of them seriously.
The incident proved just how easy it would be to stage a major attack using biological weapons. Though there is a Biological Weapons Convention which many countries have signed, in reality it is ignored by most of the signatories.
A biological weapon uses bacteria or viruses, or toxins that are produced by bacteria and can be deployed though the air, water or food. Among viruses, the most feared are the Ebola and Marburg viruses that spread through direct contact. The highly contagious smallpox virus, though the disease has been eradicated, is still preserved in a few high-security laboratories.
Bacteria, such as the pneumonic plaque bacteria, are also extremely contagious. The botulinum toxin produced by bacteria found in improperly cooked meat or contaminated food is the deadliest-known and most dreaded bio weapon, as even a billionth of a gram is fatal.
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