- Early in February, an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease
started in Northumberland in Northeastern England. According to
veterinarians
consulted at the time, it was a strain of the disease essentially similar
to a strain native to Asia. In the next few weeks, through the process
of normal livestock sales, the disease spread extensively throughout the
UK livestock business.
-
- The last outbreak of Foot and Mouth in the UK occurred
in 1967, and was limited to North West England, and involved over a
thousand
cases of the disease during the winter and spring. The disease was deemed
to have been controlled due to the less developed livestock transport
system.
-
- The virus which spreads this disease has proven
particularly
virulent in the current outbreak, and has been spread widely due to
large-scale
transportation of animals throughout the UK and Europe (some see this as
an indication of the effect of globalism on the agri-business). Despite
closing down the entire livestock transportation system at all levels,
the virus has spread massively despite UK Ministry of Agriculture measures
to limit its spread.
-
- Precisely how Foot and Mouth disease started in the UK
remains debatable; According to initial reports, the farm that originated
the initial outbreak in Northumberland fed waste food to its animals, which
might have contained infectious agents carrying the disease. How this might
occur cannot be verified, but outbreaks are ongoing in Argentina and other
parts of the world.
-
- It would not be impossible for meat infected with Foot
and Mouth to be imported due to bad practice in checking food imports -
the imported food products being sold on from the catering industry to
agriculture, apparently a widely-spread practice at pig farms.
-
- Another possibility exists - that the UK has been the
target of Biological Warfare / Bioterrorism by unfriendly nations such
as Iraq; The danger posed by the use of biological agents against
population,
military or economy was highlighted by Dr John M Deutch, the Director of
the CIA, in a speech given at a "Conference on Nuclear, Biological,
Chemical Weapons Proliferation and Terrorism" in May 1996 as
being".
A really dangerous and immediate threat." Being the voice of the CIA
to the US government, and to the world, he stated with Iraq as an
example:-
-
- "Iraq has expertise, hidden components, and a
leadership,
in case anyone is in doubt, willing to resume chemical, biological and
nuclear production."
-
- Quite obviously, the United States Government paid heed
to Dr Deutch's warnings, and by the end of the 1990s was investing hundreds
of millions of dollars annually upgrading biological warfare facilities
(such as the USDAg facility at Plum Island, New York) to combat the
prospect
of Bioterrorism.
-
- According to the US Department of Agriculture, the CIA
lists Foot and Mouth Disease as one of the 15 animal agents that have
potential
Biological Warfare applications.
-
- In contrast, according to figures supplied by the US
Department of Agriculture, the cost of developing an effective Economic
Biological Warfare weapon (targeting the enemy's agricultural system) runs
staggeringly low - perhaps as low as $10 million.
-
- See USDA "The Threat of Intentional Introduction
of Foreign Animal Diseases in to the United States"
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- According to this report:
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- "Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) Attack--A terrorist
group wishing to show the weakness of the United States has targeted our
agricultural industry to demonstrate the vulnerability of the United States
to a BW attack. The terrorist group decided to use FMD because of its ease
of availability around the world. FMD is a highly contagious viral
infection
that easily spreads by: 1, direct or indirect contact with infected
animals;
2, spread of aerosol from infected animals; 3, feeding contaminated
garbage;
4, contact with contaminated objects; 5, artificial insemination; and 6,
contaminated biologicals.
-
- Although the direct impact on human health would be
minimal
to none, its affect on the animal industry would be severe due to the
control
measures that would be necessary to contain it:
1. stop movement of animal and animal products in the area affected;
2. slaughter infected animals;
3. destroy carcasses;
4. disinfect vehicles leaving the infected areas; and
5. mass vaccination campaign.
-
-
- >From an article by Harriet Griffin on CASI.net
-
- A likely course of events might involve follow:
-
- * A member of the terrorist group travels to Asia
(possible
China) to obtain scabs or fluid from infected animal
-
- *Terrorist infect a small herd of swine to act as a
incubator
-
- *Samples are collected from herd and buffered at a pH
between 6.5 and 11 to maintain viability and are placed in
aerosolizesers
-
- *Members of the terrorist group travel to major livestock
center in the United States
-
- *Members of the terrorist group gain access to major
livestock markets throughout the United States
-
- *Members spray aerosolized FMD into pens of cattle and
swine in sale barns, and trucks
-
- *Animals are then dispersed to different parts of the
country
-
- *Some animals begin to develop symptoms as early as 12
hours after exposure, but initially are attributed to shipping
stress
-
- *After initially exposed animals have been moved out,
the pens and grounds are contaminated and posed to infect the next group
of animals to enter the livestock market
-
- The biologic economic warfare cycle has begun. Before
FMD can be initially diagnosed, it has already spread beyond the initial
confines of the livestock markets. Trucks hauling animals from market are
dispersing the agent around the country. After the initial diagnosis, herds
are being quarantined around the country. USDA personnel are responding
to multiple reported suspect herds, and resources are being spread thin.
The news media has picked-up on the news of possible FMD outbreaks, and
the public is becoming concerned. Misinformation concerning the Food and
Mouth Disease in animals, and Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease in children
is causing public panic. After the FMD serotype has been determined and
linked to Asia, the source will not be determined and the possibility of
a BW attack will begin to be considered
-
- This extract illustrates the ease by which a malignant
nation could engineer the disruption of a Western-style agricultural
economy.
Of the nations known to have a large Bioweapons industry which has
previously
shown no constraint to their use is Iraq, whose Biological Warfare research
facilities were established in 1985 as the Muthanna State Establishment,
and by the time of the ending of the Iran-Iraq War, had already deployed
Anthrax-based biological weapons ready for military use.
-
- Toward the end of the 1980s, most mainline Biological
Weapons research was moved to Salman Pak, south of Baghdad, while research
on military application of Foot and Mouth Disease and Botulinium, with
a side-line of camelpox, enterovirus 70 and rotavirus was conducted at
the Daura facility at Al Manal South East of Baghdad (33*49'N
44*42'E).
-
- Ostensibly, a plant for producing vaccine for Foot and
Mouth Disease, the Daura facility had been investigated by UNSCOM personnel
in 1991, and accepted at the time that it was a civilian facility.
-
- This was not so on inspection in 1995, when most evidence
available to international investigators pointed to it having been ".
Not a purely civilian facility, but had been used for biological warfare
agent production, research and development."
-
- Consider the current UK outbreak of Foot and Mouth
Disease
in the context given in the US Department of Agriculture report on
Bioterrorism,
in the light of Biological Weapons programs pursued by non-friendly
governments.
.
-
- It is not inconceivable that the UK is the first casualty
of a Biological attack as depicted in the USDA report.
-
- Further discussion available on Vrus.net Forum
-
- Or mail me on Zanthrax@vrus.net
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