BIOLOGICAL WARFARE AND PUBLIC HEALTH: PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE STRATEGIES

Biological warfare, or the deliberate use of biological agents against enemies, has been a crucial concern for national security and public health. While technological development in biotechnology offers a potential channel through which biological agents can be developed and released in a very dangerous mounting danger of bioterrorism and state-sponsored attacks, this paper discusses the current understanding of how to deal with and respond to biological warfare measures through international collaborations that enable legal frameworks and public health infrastructures necessary to mitigate them.

The paper critically analyses the extant biosecurity arrangements, including the Biological Weapons Convention and national laws, such as India’s Epidemic Diseases Act, of 1897. It also pointed out the significant gaps in these laws, more specifically, the lack of enforcement mechanisms and many provisions of the regulations, which seem to be archaic. On the other hand, biotechnology research also faces the dual-use dilemma wherein scientific gains made for defense purposes can turn out to be utilized for offensive purposes, thus posing ethical and security issues.

The findings indicate that much ground has been covered on matters of biosecurity, but the current frameworks are not satisfactory for dealing effectively with emerging threats. These set up recommendations, like updating legal frameworks, increasing investment in research and development, and stepping up international cooperation. These factors are very instrumental in ensuring the attainment of a resilient global biosecurity environment responsive to outbreaks that are naturally caused and those originating from deliberate biological attacks.