From infected bodies being flung over castle walls, to a poisonous gas you wont even notice killing you in minutes, you could be infected right now and not even know it. Bioweapons have been used for wars, bio-terrorism for centuries. Although the UN banned many substances some countries have no problems using them anyway, even the ones so dangerous that they’ve been classified as weapons of mass destruction, or WMD. This is a list of the 8 most dangerous banned Bioweapons.
Bubonic Plague
The Bubonic plague was most devastating infection the human race has ever seen. It was fleas, who transferred it to rodents, who snuck onto ships, and transferred it to humans all over the world. The plague killed maybe 25 million in China, and third of the population of Europe. During the middle ages medieval armies would use the plague to kill opposing forces. They used to catapults to fling bodies, or faeces over the walls of castles. During the sige of Kafa when the Mongols were being besieged by the Tartar forces, the attackers used Dead Mongols infected with the plague to defeat the Mongols. It’s possible that this incident was partly to blame for the start of the Black Death.
Sarin gas
Sarin gas is one of the most lethal biological weapons in the world. It is colourless, odourless, and created by the Nazis. This gas is completely undetectable without specialist equipment, and inhaling it can kill you in minutes. After inhaling it your muscles and respiratory system will be paralysed in no time. According to the World Health Organisation “Sarin is 26 times more deadly than cyanide gas. Just a pinprick-sized droplet will kill a human”. Sarin gas was used by a cult in Japan twice, and by Saddam Hussein in 1988 to kill thousands of Kurds.
Smallpox
The first use of smallpox as a Biological weapon was in the 18th century when Britain fought against the French, and Indians for control of part of America. While fighting this war the British found a way of causing massive casualties to the enemies with minimising the deaths on their own side. They devised a plan to send blankets to the Indians infected with small pox, so the illness would spread and kill a large mount of their forces. Smallpox was used in many different wars since then but eventually naturally occurring smallpox was completely eradicated. Symptoms of smallpox include high fever, chills, headache, severe back pain, abdominal pain, vomiting.
Anthrax
Anthrax is caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis, this bacterium can survive in harsh conditions for hundreds of years, making it hard to eradicate. It’s spores can be found all over the continent, they can be eaten, inhaled, or caught through broken skin, once caught the bacterium can multiply rapidly. Anthrax is incredibly deadly, and hard to cure, up until the 20th century it would kill hundreds of thousands of people every year. Powerful countries haven’t been deterred by this however, the UK, Japan, the US, Russia and Iraq have all developed Anthrax as a weapon, and several other countries have tried to do the same. Symptoms include, flu like symptoms, discomfort in the chest, shortness of breath, nausea, coughing up blood, and painful swallowing.
Chimera
Scientists have been experimenting with ways to combine certain infections and diseases in order to create new ways of using them. Scientists have found that combining the common cold and polio could provide a possible cure for brain cancer which would be an amazing discovery, unfortunately they can also combine infections in such a way that creates lethal weapons capable of mass destruction. One way they could do this is by releasing an infection with a known cure, but set it up so when you’re administered the cure it actually increases the lethality of the infection.
Botulinum
Botulinum is a deadly gas, which is almost impossible to detect. You cant see it, you cant smell, and you can breathe it in without even knowing. Once you inhale it the symptoms take between 12 and 36 hours to take affect. Symptoms include difficulty swallowing or speaking, dry mouth, facial weakness, blurred vision or double vision, drooping eyelids, trouble hearing, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, paralysis and death. If you are infected there is a 70% chance you will die. You’re only hope is to get an antitoxin before the paralysis begins to kick in, which is unlikely as you most likely wouldn’t recognise the symptoms and just think you needed to try to sit down and wait it out.
Tularemia
Tularemia is a dangerous disease humans can catch through rodents, like Beavers, Rabbits, and Muskrats. Symptoms of the disease include, fever, lethargy, loss of appetite, signs of sepsis(condition where the body’s response to infection damages it’s own tissues), and death. The infection wont become noticeable until about three to five days have passed, and then the incubation period is about one to fourteen days. The disease is also spread through bugs, and infectteed food. The infection can be inhaled, eaten, or enter through the skin. Tick bites are a common way of becoming infected.
VX
VX is a nerve agent 10 times more powerful than Sarin Gas, and is considered a weapon of mass destruction by the UN. It’s viscous liquid which feels like oil, it can also be distributed in the form of a liquid. This agent causes you die in quite a horrific way as it takes away the away for your muscles to stop contracting, forcing all your muscles to contract without stopping,until you become completely paralysed and suffocate to death. This drug may also have been used by Saddam Hussein in 1988. VX is the most toxic nerve agent ever created.