Biological and Chemical Weapons: "The Use by Terrorists is a Realistic Threat"

Joshua Shemer and Shmuel C. Shapira, leading physicians in Israel, are warning: "Until recently, the use of chemical and biological warfare by countries, including nations ruled by dictators and totalitarians, was prohibited. The threat, however, prevails. The latest events in the USA have taught us that chemical and biological warfare, as well as radiation weapons, could be used quite easily by fanatic terrorist groups."

"While the doctrine of management of conventional mass casualties is well known, clinicians and health service providers should be aware of the occurence of incidents - ranging in dimensions from sporadic cases to mass casualties - of chemical, biological and radiation warfare. Clinicians and healthcare providers should recognize the harm caused by the variety of non-conventional weapons as a potentional epidemiology, and the relevant authorities should prepare for the prevention and early detection of the effects of the terrorist attacks", the experts emphasize in their textbook "Terror and Medicine".

"The use of mass destruction weapons by terrorists is a realistic threat. Knowledge may decrease the degree of fear, and mass destruction weapons should be recognized by all members of the medical community and by the public. Ongoing national and regional disease surveillance (incl. infectious diseases and unusual morbidity and mortality) is very important in peacetime as well as during war. This surveillance will enable health authorities and epidemiologists to obtain the earliest warning of suspicious case clusters and outbreaks, to detect an eruption of disease or toxicity, and to assess the necessity of special measures such as prevention, isolation, immunization and curative therapy, as well as providing relevant information to the public."


J. Shemer, Y. Shoenfeld (Eds.) Terror and Medicine. Medical Aspects of Biological, Chemical and Radiological Terrorism.
Pabst, Lengerich/Berlin, 564 pages, ISBN 978-3-89967-018-9

Pabst Science Publishers (Lengerich/Westfalen) veröffentlicht zehn psychologische und neun medizinische Fachzeitschriften; darüber hinaus erscheinen bei Pabst aus den gleichen Fachbereichen mehr als hundert Bücher jährlich - teils wissenschaftliche Spezialtitel, teils allgemeinverständliche Fachliteratur.

Pabst Science Publishers
Eichengrund 28
49525 Lengerich
Tel. 05484-308
Fax 05484-550
E-Mail: pabst.publishers@t-online.de
Internet: www.pabst-publishers.com

This release was published on openPR.