Ebola can be turned into bioweapon, Russian & UK experts warn

[ferrous]

[url]http://rt.com/news/178992-ebola-biological-weapon-terrorists/[/url]
[IMG]http://cdn.rt.com/files/news/2b/b3/00/00/ebola-biological-weapon-terrorists.si.jpg[/IMG]

[QUOTE]Concerns that the deadly Ebola virus, which has claimed nearly a 1,000 lives in West Africa in recent months, can be used by as biological weapon are far from being groundless, Russia’s Federal Medical-Biological Agency (FMBA) said.[I]“Such possibility exists,”[/I] Vladimir Nikiforov, who heads the Department of Infectious Diseases at the FMBA’s Institution of Advanced Training, acknowledged at a press conference in Moscow.

[I]“Actually, this virus can be used in the form of a spray, which can lead to very big trouble,”[/I] the disease expert is cited as saying by the RIA-Novosti news agency.

It’s very hard to track down efforts to create bioweapons, despite the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention in place since 1972, he said.

[I]“Biological weapons are nothing like a nuclear bomb… In order to make a nuclear bomb, one would require a uranium mine, a nuclear power plant and so on,” but biological weapons “are made in a small laboratory, which can be easily camouflaged,”[/I] Nikiforov said.

[I]“You know that there are rogue states. And here's the thing, I can’t guarantee that some country isn’t preparing something of the kind,[/I]” he added.

Nikiforov words are echoed by his counterpart from Cambridge University, Dr Peter Walsh, who warned the UK public that a terrorist could use the Ebola virus to create a dirty bomb.
The biological anthropologist told the Sun newspaper that he fears [I]“large number of horrific deaths”[/I] if [I]“a group manages to harness the virus as a power then explodes it as a bomb in a highly populated public area.”[/I]
[/QUOTE]

[DogGunn]

dat fear mongering.

[Solo Wing]

And whoever DOES turn it into a bioweapon will have every superpower in the world dogpile them simultaneously.

I repeat, NOBODY wants to deal with Ebola.

[Zonesylvania]

[QUOTE=Solo Wing;45630917]And whoever DOES turn it into a bioweapon will have every superpower in the world dogpile them simultaneously.

I repeat, NOBODY wants to deal with Ebola.[/QUOTE]

Imagine what might happen if somebody weaponized AIDS somehow. We'd be fucked.

[WishesForFishes]

So can any other illness.
I mean shit, they could make some kinda super-death-polio-9000 if they really wanted to.

[Solo Wing]

[QUOTE=Zonesylvania;45630921]Imagine what might happen if somebody weaponized AIDS somehow. We'd be fucked.[/QUOTE]I'm thinking something along the lines of that syringe grenade thing that was used in Resident Evil 6.....only like Atomic Bomb scale.

[alxnotorious]

What, a giant jar of Ebola-infected Jarate?

[Golgo 13]

[QUOTE=Zonesylvania;45630921]Imagine what might happen if somebody weaponized AIDS somehow. We'd be fucked.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, we'd all be lead singers

[Iconoclast]

thanks for the update, Russia

always such a good Samaritan

[_maverick_]

Well, yeah but isn't it by bodily fluids?
and only has a 60% death rate?

that's not a very good bioweapon if you ask me

[sloppy_joes]

[QUOTE=_Maverick_;45631102]Well, yeah but isn't it by bodily fluids?
and only has a 60% death rate?

that's not a very good bioweapon if you ask me[/QUOTE]

potentially killing more than half a population isn't a good bioweapon?

[Zonesylvania]

[QUOTE=_Maverick_;45631102]Well, yeah but isn't it by bodily fluids?
and only has a 60% death rate?

that's not a very good bioweapon if you ask me[/QUOTE]
40-90% depending on the strain. If whoever trying to weaponize it will put even a modicum of thought into this, they'll probably try to breed a more lethal strain of it.

[_maverick_]

[QUOTE=sloppy_joes;45631108]potentially killing more than half a population isn't a good bioweapon/[/QUOTE]

well.. isn't the point of a bioweapon to kill as many people as possible silently and with maximum casualties infecting a huge area?
i'm just saying, it's not an ideal virus to use for a weapon if those are your goals

[Dr.C]

Yes yes, I'm sure we've all read Executive Orders

[Curls]

[QUOTE=_Maverick_;45631139]well.. isn't the point of a bioweapon to kill as many people as possible silently and with maximum casualties infecting a huge area?
i'm just saying, it's not an ideal virus to use for a weapon if those are your goals[/QUOTE]

I unexpertly imagine death rate would raise massively with a higher number of people than can be dealt with

if a bomb were to explode in a city and lets say, infected a massive crowd it would be impossible for hospitals to deal with it and the infection would spread a LOT. It'd eventually be contained unless it were like, lets say, some run down overpopulated chinese city with almost no healthcare.

but that's like, [URL="https://image-cdn.zap2it.com/images/24-tv-show.jpg"]24[/URL] shit that you never see in real life ever. So that's never really going to happen.

a silent one would be easier to contain though, so death rate would rise but... not really that much I'd expect.

[DepDirkson]

Time to get my standard facepunch-issue gasmask.

But honestly, weaponized ebola would be a greater threat than normal ebola. Assuming the perpetrator was to release the aerosol into highly populated centers, it would be hard for the CDC or whatever country's equivalent to find and isolate every person that could have been infected before it began to spread, I assume.

[Mugofdoom]

[quote]“Actually, this virus can be used in the form of a spray, which can lead to very big trouble,” the disease expert is cited as saying by the RIA-Novosti news agency.[/quote]

terrorists be like "oh cool, good to know"

[matt000024]

Why would any nation or group use this who isn't suicidal? It'd spread to their own people too. Even IS aren't dumb enough to use it. They may be insane, but the leaders still care for their own lives.

[Kommodore]

[QUOTE=matt000024;45631759]Why would any nation or group use this who isn't suicidal? It'd spread to their own people too. Even IS aren't dumb enough to use it. They may be insane, but the leaders still care for their own lives.[/QUOTE]

exactly

[QUOTE=sloppy_joes;45631108]potentially killing more than half a population isn't a good bioweapon?[/QUOTE]

no bioweapon is a good weapon from a strategic point of view because anywhere they achieve maximum effect also presents the maximum likelihood that they spread beyond sovereign borders in unintentional ways, irrespective of political considerations and even potentially also affecting their place of origin.

bioweapons are basically the weapon of the intl and political psychopath

[Drsalvador]

[QUOTE=sloppy_joes;45631108]potentially killing more than half a population isn't a good bioweapon?[/QUOTE]

Compared to a ruddy great bomb that can potentially kill 90-100%?

[WINDOWS098]

I remeber reading the sun and it said "TERRORISTS HAVE EBOLA BOMBS" or something like that, and the whole thing was how they could somehow be lucky enough to make a dirty bomb and live. The sun and daily mail honestly put us to shame by the sensationalism

[Mort Stroodle]

I can't see some actual nation using a bioweapon, it's just too risky that your own borders were to get infected. However, extremist groups without regards for personal safety might get in on that.

[bravehat]

[QUOTE=_Maverick_;45631139]well.. isn't the point of a bioweapon to kill as many people as possible silently and with maximum casualties infecting a huge area?
i'm just saying, it's not an ideal virus to use for a weapon if those are your goals[/QUOTE]

Zaire Ebola has a 90% mortality rate.

[matt000024]

[QUOTE=Mort Stroodle;45632259]I can't see some actual nation using a bioweapon, it's just too risky that your own borders were to get infected. However, extremist groups without regards for personal safety might get in on that.[/QUOTE]

Contrary to popular belief, most extremist groups aren't suicidal. The leaders advocate suicide bombing and sacrifice, but themselves rather not die or lose their entire population. Look at Osama bin Laden. Instead of trying to go out via a suicide bomb or fighting when he was finally caught he instead it is actually believed tried to surrender. All talk of sacrificing yourself to kill the enemy is just stuff they tell their pawns so they'll do the dirty work for them.

[StrawberryClock]

[QUOTE=_Maverick_;45631102]Well, yeah but isn't it by bodily fluids?
and only has a 60% death rate?

that's not a very good bioweapon if you ask me[/QUOTE]

"Only" 60%? Considering this is the most deadly disease after the rabies I wouldn't say that it isn't something we should ignore.

[video=youtube;TGyFhwdtCMk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGyFhwdtCMk&list=UUZYTClx2T1of7BRZ86-8fow[/video]

[Deunan]

[QUOTE=Zonesylvania;45630921]Imagine what might happen if somebody weaponized AIDS somehow. We'd be fucked.[/QUOTE]

Ebola is worse actually. A weaponised AIDS would kill too slowly, it doesn't have the necessary terror conotations. On top of that, someone infected with HIV can still continue to live normally, work and as such isn't such a drain on the resources of the nation and the populace

An ebola carrier is nothing like that. Ebola is visible, scary and will be able to cause panic.

[Rofl_copter]

[QUOTE=DogGunn;45630899]dat fear mongering.[/QUOTE]

honestly though the possibility of people firing warheads that'll eventually make your ballsack explode is pretty terrifying

[ShaunOfTheLive]

We have ricin, staphylococcal enterotoxin B, botulinum toxin, saxitoxin, and many mycotoxins. Bacillus anthracis, Brucella spp., Burkholderia mallei, Burkholderia pseudomallei, Chlamydophila psittaci, Coxiella burnetii, Francisella tularensis, some of the Rickettsiaceae (especially Rickettsia prowazekii and Rickettsia rickettsii), Shigella spp., Vibrio cholerae, and Yersinia pestis.

Why should we be worried about Ebola? Just because it's the latest mass hysteria?

[RockmanYoshi]

Zaire ebolavirus is a threat but people are worrying about this way too much.

[Korova]

Anyone who dares to use this stuff will end up destroying their own country/organization so I'm not worried about it.