There is increasing concern over the possible use of biological weapons. If they are used, an attack will manifest as a disease outbreak among humans, animals or plants. It is thus important to be able to distinguish between natural disease outbreaks and the result of such an attack. The bok discusses the scientific and technical means available to investigate this question and then goes on to consider the agents of concern. The book concludes with a look forward to future developments.

Inhalt

Preface. The Importance of Distinguishing Between Natural and Other Outbreaks of Disease; G.S. Pearson. Outbreaks of Disease; T. Tóth. The Agents of Concern; R. Monteleone-Neto. Natural Outbreaks of Disease: Communicable Disease Surveillance in the Czech Republic; B. Kriz, J. Kyncl. Distinguishing Between Natural Disease Outbreaks and Deliberate Attacks on Human Beings Using Biological Weapons; M.R. Dando, S.M. Whitby. Characteristics of Natural Outbreaks of Crop Diseases; P. Rogers. Distinguishing Natural and Unnatural Outbreaks of Animal Diseases; M. Hugh-Jones. Detecting Anthrax: What We Learned from the 1979 Sverdlovsk Outbreak; J. Guillemin. Scientific Techniques to Distinguish Natural and Other Outbreaks of Disease; B. Steyn. Natural and Other Biological Risks from a Medical Service Perspective; T. Sohns, E.J. Finke. The WHO Role in Surveillance and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases; R. D'Amelio, et al. Reporting of Outbreaks of Disease Under BTWC Confidence-Building Measures; E. Geissler, J.P. Woodall. Possible Participation of the State Research Centre of Virology and Biotechnology `Vector' in a National and Global Network for Distinguishing Outbreaks; S.V. Netesov, L.S. Sandakhchiev. Scientific and Technical Means of Distinguishing Between Natural and Other Outbreaks of Disease: An Overview of the ARW and a 2000 Postscript; G.S. Pearson. Index.