In 2015, Bill Gates warned – the next pandemic is a matter of time, and the world is not ready to deal with it. And he turned out to be right. In late 2019, COVID-19 swept into China and from there across the world, and no one was ready to deal with it.
Now Gates has a new warning – global security is threatened by bioterrorism.
Interpol’s definition of “bioterrorism” is “the intentional release of biological agents or toxins to injure or kill humans, animals, or plants with the intent to intimidate or coerce a government or civilian population to achieve political or social goals.”
Asked by the BBC what he thinks is the big future threat to humanity that we don’t think enough about, Gates says: “As we start to think enough about climate change, the threat is from bioterror, which is really terrible.”
“Bioterrorism and pandemics are almost the same thing,” Gates says, because they expose humanity to dangerous and even deadly diseases. The difference in bioterrorism, he says, is that it’s much harder to defend against because “anyone who’s trying to do it is doing it knowingly and they understand your defense system, so they can try to design their plan to surround her”.
The threat of anthrax attacks
Interpol says there is enough information available to show that some individuals and terrorist groups have the ability and intent to use biological agents to harm society.
The international police organization has even developed an operational guide for investigating potential biological and chemical terrorism on the dark web to help intelligence agencies and investigators around the world.
While a biological or toxic agent is likely to spread unexpectedly, an effective response to a biological event depends on the coordination of several acting sectors, Interpol said. “Therefore, structured prevention, preparedness and response strategies are essential.”
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that if a bioterrorist attack were to occur, it would most likely involve the bacteria that cause anthrax, a disease that can seriously affect humans and animals.
Symptoms vary depending on how the bacteria enters the body—usually through the skin, lungs, or gastrointestinal system—which also determines the type of illness.
Symptoms of cutaneous anthrax, the most common type, may include small blisters or bumps, itching, and painless skin sores with a black center, appearing more often on the face, neck, arms, or hands.
All types of anthrax can “eventually spread throughout the body and cause death if not treated with antibiotics,” the CDC explains.
The outcome of inhaling anthrax spores is “almost always fatal.” However, with aggressive treatment, about 55% of patients survive.
Anthrax has already been used in the past. In 2001, anthrax powder was intentionally placed in letters sent through the US postal system. 22 people contracted anthrax, and five of them died.
Other biological weapons that could potentially be used, according to the CDC, are: the variola virus (the virus that causes smallpox), a disease called scurvy that usually affects horses and has already been used in the past as a biological weapon during of war and melioidosis, an infectious disease caused by microbes that occur naturally in certain parts of the world, such as Southeast Asia and northern Australia.
How to prepare for a bioterrorist attack
Assuming that after an emergency you may have to survive on your own for a few days, it is important to create a disaster emergency kit – basic items such as food, a flashlight and water, Euronews writes.
The CDC advises taking some time to discuss an emergency plan as a family. Consider questions such as: What is my shelter plan? What is my evacuation route? Do I need to update my emergency preparedness kit?
Just as he did when he warned the world that it was inadequately prepared for a pandemic before COVID-19 hit, Gates is calling for greater investment in technology to detect and respond to bioterrorist attacks.
In a 2021 interview with former UK health secretary Jeremy Hunt, Gates said he hoped to publish a book by 2026 titled We ARE Prepared for the Next Pandemic – and about biological attacks by extension, “but it will take tens of billions”.
Gates, the world’s fifth-richest person and second-largest contributor to the World Health Organization, believes international cooperation and global health systems must be strengthened to ensure the world is better prepared against biological threats.
“The good news is that every little bit of work we do to prepare for future pandemics will be hugely beneficial to bioterrorism,” he told the BBC. “The bad news is we’re not as active as I think we should be.”
