When the multinational force deployed to the Gulf after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, military intelligence assessed the Iraqi's as possessing and being capable of using weapons of mass destruction. There was judged to be a real threat that chemical weapons, especially nerve agents, and certain biological weapons would be used. Coalition countries attempted to reduce the effects by the use...

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PIH’s goal of “accompaniment” to its patients as a means to ensure that medicine is taken and hardships are eased for those in need. The third section focuses on unnatural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina and the earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010. More somber in tone, these speeches quickly got to Dr. Farmer’s point that we, as doctors, scientists, and policymakers, should be making “wea...

Engineer 31 T.he protection of secure facilities such as forward operating bases (FOBs) and theater internment facilities (TIFs) is an emerging issue in light of the successful and nearly successful underground breaches at overseas bases, along our borders, and at prisons in foreign countries where suspected terrorists are held. The armed forces are now investigating sensor modalities to protec...

Infectious agents have been investigated, developed, and used by both governments and terrorist groups as weapons of mass destruction. CNS infections, though traditionally considered less often than respiratory diseases in this scenario, may be very important. Viruses responsible for encephalitides can be highly infectious in aerosol form. CNS involvement in anthrax is ominous but should change...

Biological warfare agents are the most problematic of the weapons of mass destruction and terror. Both civilian and military sources predict that over the next decade the threat from proliferation of these agents will increase significantly. In this review we summarize the state of the art in detection and identification of biological threat agents based on PCR technology with emphasis on the n...

STUDY OBJECTIVE We performed an assessment of hospital preparedness for weapons of mass destruction (WMD) incidents in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region III. METHODS Interviews of hospital personnel were completed in 30 hospitals. Data collected included level of preparedness, mass decontamination capabilities, training of hospital staff, and facility security capabilities. ...

This article, written from the perspective and based partially on the experience of law enforcement and public health practitioners, explores the very real public-safety threat posed by terrorists’ use of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). More specifically, it provides an overview of various types of WMDs and their properties; outlines the general policies, procedures, and protocols character...