While the world is battling against Coronavirus and trying hard to save as many lives as possible, a question that many people are probably thinking about currently is whether the Coronavirus is a bioweapon or not? With experts coming up with theories about conspiracies surrounding the virus, people are having a hard time believing what is truth and what is not. So was Coronavirus engineered in a lab as a bioweapon and unfortunately escaped outside causing havoc across the world? Or, is the theory of a virus being passed from bats to humans the truth? Well, we shall let the experts decide whether it is a bio-weapon or not, but in the meantime let us have a look at the 5 most dangerous bio-weapons in the world that have caused great disasters in the past.
ANTHRAX
One of the best known bioweapons, Bacillus anthracis is a bacterium that causes anthrax which has already been used as a deadly biological weapon. The U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has classified anthrax as a Category A agent which can cause a substantial risk to world population.
Anthrax has been used as a bioweapon for about a century and is mixed with aerosols, water, food or powders. The spores of the bacterium are invisible, tasteless and odourless and very effective as a weapon. In fact, in 2001 letters from the US postal system carrying anthrax powder were sent throughout USA that lead to the death of 5 people and 20 being affected by it.
TULARAEMIA
Another highly contagious disease that is caused by Bacterium Francisella tularensis, Tularaemia like coronavirus is transmitted by air and leads to severe pneumonia in the patients causing systemic infection. Although rabbits and wild rodents are most affected by it, Tularaemia is another deadly bio-weapon that can be transmitted through various sources such as water, direct contact with the infected animals, bitten by the infected insect or sprayed (oral) contaminated water or food.
SMALLPOX
A serious infection that is caused by the Variola Virus, smallpox is another highly dangerous bio-weapon that can cause havoc and deaths of millions of people if it spreads in the humans. Smallpox easily spreads from person to person, spreading the infection faster than people can imagine. However, the virus has been completely eradicated from the face of earth since 1980. However, samples of the virus are still stored in two labs, one in USA and another in Russia.
BOTULISM
A serious disease caused by the toxin released from the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, botulism is lethal and has extreme potency. In fact just 1 gram of the toxin is enough to kill more than 1 million of the world’s population. The toxin can be transmitted by aerosol or as a contamination in water and food. In early 1930, it is believed that a Japanese group infected Chinese war prisoners with it during the occupation of Manchuria.
EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE
The Ebola Virus Disease is another deadly bioweapon that is believed to have been produced as a lethal bioweapon by the Soviet Union sometime between 1986 and 1990. The disease causes hemorrhagic fever that is similar to Marburg fever or dengue fever. The virus is transmitted from wild animals to humans and is considered extremely lethal. However, there has been no evidence of it being used as a bioweapon until date. However, the Soviet Union also produced the Marburg virus also called as the Ebola Twins virus and preferred it more than Ebola Virus due to its higher fatality rate of 90%.