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Prof Margaret E. Kosal in the News: “Six Deadly Bioterror Threats to Watch Out For”

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“Six Deadly Bioterror Threats to Watch Out For”
http://www.healthline.com/health-news/policy-six-deadly-bioterror-threats-102613

“U.S. agencies like the Centers for Disease Control keep lists of potential bioterrorism agents that have the highest risks of mortality and morbidity, and botulism is one of them. However, these government lists may be based more on the deadliness of the pathogen, rather than the feasibility of a potential delivery system, according to national bioterrorism experts.

“Margaret Kosal, an assistant professor of international affairs at Georgia Tech who has worked with the U.S. Department of Defense on these issues, told Healthline, ‘Most of those discussions are grounded or based in assessment of technical or physiological characteristics of the pathogen ... rather than requirements to make an effective weapon and broader consideration of motivation. All that gets very complicated, which doesn't mean it shouldn't be pursued.’

“’The bug (aka the pathogen) itself is not a weapon,’” Kosal added. ‘That frequently gets lost in political, policy, and popular discussions. Transforming a pathogen into a weapon can be a very different skill set.’”

 

See the GT Daily Digest below under Tech in the News, 

6 Deadly Bioterror Threats to Watch Out For
YAHOO! Health, October 26
health.yahoo.net/articles/healthcare/six-deadly-bioterror-threats-watch-out

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  • Created By:Ava Roth
  • Created:10/28/2013
  • Modified By:Fletcher Moore
  • Modified:10/07/2016

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