2020/07/03 by Glenn A. Cross, Lynn Klotz · 1 citation
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Medicine · #Bacillus and Francisella bacterial research #Zoonotic diseases and public health #Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research
paper · doi:10.1080/00963402.2020.1778365
openalex publication_date 2020/07/03 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
While the secretary-general of the United Nations has questioned whether the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed a gap in global defenses against bioterrorism that a nefarious group may seek to exploit, the reality is that the pandemic has only underscored the folly of biological warfare, a strategy which relies on weapons – viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens – that would indiscriminately wreak havoc on the attacked and the attacker alike. Indeed, most countries in the world are part of the Biological Weapons Convention, the international treaty that – while lacking an enforcement mechanism – has successfully bolstered the near universal norms against the use of biological weapons.