Marine and water-related bio-incidents and preparedness for bioterrorism and biothreats

Abstract

Research and analysis of the conditions for the spread and the eventual outcome of major bio-incidents and epidemic outbreaks as a result of intended/unintended transfer of biological agents by human activity or migration connected with marine and water routes and resources has been conducted in order to assess the necessity to handle that kind of events. Several cases related to marine bio-incidents, which have caused or could have caused many casualties, have been considered; possibilities for the spread of such incidents, the conditions for their spread as a result of intended/unintended transfer of bioagents by human activity or migration connected with marine and water routes and resources as well as their potential to affect and the scope of possible damage. According to many researchers, the bioterrorism threat can be compared to а nuclear threat, which has persisted for the last 50 years, with the only difference that there are no effective strategies for handling a bio threat, as compared to the nuclear one. Investments in defence strategies aimed at bioattack could save million lives and the economy from collapse by means of the three defence measures, which have proved the most promising in handling a bioterrorist attack: 1. early bioattack warning systems – BAWS; 2. systems for surveillance of the environment by means of which bioagents could be effectively discovered and identified within hours, installing those near important internal locations, in and around seaports, as well as other critical infrastructure; 3. readiness for the biomedical treatment to reach anyone directly exposed to any bioagents identified by BAWS. Providing adequate safety measures to handle bioattack is a necessary step to guarantee security of sea transport, in particular, but also of national security and global security as a whole.