Biodefense Biodefense refers to short term , local , usually military measures to restore biosecurity to a given group of persons in a given area who are , or may be , subject to biological warfare — in the civilian terminology , it is a very robust biohazard response . It is technically possible to apply biodefense measures to protect animals or plants , but this is generally uneconomic . However , protection of water supplies and food supplies are often a critical part of biodefense . Various definitions of biosafety emerged in different professions to guarantee non - human health . Biodefense is most often discussed in the context of biowar or bioterrorism , and is generally considered a military or emergency response term . Biodefense applies to two distinct target populations : civilian non - combatant and military combatant ( troops in the field ) . Military . Biodefense of troops in the field . Military biodefense in the United States began with the United States Army Medical Unit ( USAMU ) at Fort Detrick , Maryland , in 1956 . ( In contrast to the U . S . Army Biological Warfare Laboratories [ 1943 – 1969 ] , also at Fort Detrick , the USAMU ' s mission was purely to develop defensive measures against bio - agents , as opposed to weapons development . ) The USAMU was disestablished in 1969 and succeeded by today ' s United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases ( USAMRIID ) . The United States Department of Defense ( or " DoD " ) has focused since at least 1998 on the development and application of vaccine - based biodefenses . In a July 2001 report commissioned by the DoD , the " DoD - critical products " were stated as vaccines against anthrax ( AVA and Next Generation ) , smallpox , plague , tularemia , botulinum , ricin , and equine encephalitis . Note that two of these targets are toxins ( botulinum and ricin ) while the remainder are infectious agents . Civilian . Role of public health and disease surveillance . It is important to note that all of the classical and modern biological weapons organisms are animal diseases , the only exception being smallpox . Thus , in any use of biological weapons , it is highly likely that animals will become ill either simultaneously with , or perhaps earlier than humans . Indeed , in the largest biological weapons accident known – the anthrax outbreak in Sverdlovsk ( now Yekaterinburg ) in the Soviet Union in 1979 , sheep became ill with anthrax as far as 200 kilometers from the release point of the organism from a military facility in the southeastern portion of the city ( known as Compound 19 and still off limits to visitors today , see Sverdlovsk Anthrax leak ) . Thus , a robust surveillance system involving human clinicians and veterinarians may identify a bioweapons attack early in the course of an epidemic , permitting the prophylaxis of disease in the vast majority of people ( and / or animals ) exposed but not yet ill . For example in the case of anthrax , it is likely that by 24 – 36 hours after an attack , some small percentage of individuals ( those with compromised immune system or who had received a large dose of the organism due to proximity to the release point ) will become ill with classical symptoms and signs ( including a virtually unique chest X - ray finding , often recognized by public health officials if they receive timely reports ) . By making these data available to local public health officials in real time , most models of anthrax epidemics indicate that more than 80 % of an exposed population can receive antibiotic treatment before becoming symptomatic , and thus avoid the moderately high mortality of the disease . Identification of bioweapons . The goal of biodefense is to integrate the sustained efforts of the national and homeland security , medical , public health , intelligence , diplomatic , and law enforcement communities . Health care providers and public health officers are among the first lines of defense . In some countries private , local , and provincial ( state ) capabilities are being augmented by and coordinated with federal assets , to provide layered defenses against biological weapons attacks . During the first Gulf War the United Nations activated a biological and chemical response team , Task Force Scorpio , to respond to any potential use of weapons of mass destruction on civilians . The traditional approach toward protecting agriculture , food , and water : focusing on the natural or unintentional introduction of a disease is being strengthened by focused efforts to address current and anticipated future biological weapons threats that may be deliberate , multiple , and repetitive . The growing threat of biowarfare agents and bioterrorism has led to the development of specific field tools that perform on - the - spot analysis and identification of encountered suspect materials . One such technology , being developed by researchers from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory ( LLNL ) , employs a " sandwich immunoassay " , in which fluorescent dye - labeled antibodies aimed at specific pathogen s are attached to silver and gold nanowires . The U . S . National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases ( NIAID ) also participates in the identification and prevention of biowarfare and first released a strategy for biodefense in 2002 , periodically releasing updates as new pathogens are becoming topics of discussion . Within this list of strategies , responses for specific infectious agents are provided , along with the classification of these agents . NIAID provides countermeasures after the U . S . Department of Homeland Security details which pathogens hold the most threat . Planning and response . Planning may involve the development of biological identification systems . Until recently in the United States , most biological defense strategies have been geared to protecting soldiers on the battlefield rather than ordinary people in cities . Financial cutbacks have limited the tracking of disease outbreaks . Some outbreaks , such as food poisoning due to " E . coli " or " Salmonella " , could be of either natural or deliberate origin . Preparedness < br > Biological agents are relatively easy to obtain by terrorists and are becoming more threatening in the U . S . , and laboratories are working on advanced detection systems to provide early warning , identify contaminated areas and populations at risk , and to facilitate prompt treatment . Methods for predicting the use of biological agents in urban areas as well as assessing the area for the hazards associated with a biological attack are being established in major cities . In addition , forensic technologies are working on identifying biological agents , their geographical origins and / or their initial son . Efforts include decontamination technologies to restore facilities without causing additional environmental concerns . Early detection and rapid response to bioterrorism depend on close cooperation between public health authorities and law enforcement ; however , such cooperation is currently lacking . National detection assets and vaccine stockpiles are not useful if local and state officials do not have access to them . Biosurveillance < br > In 1999 , the University of Pittsburgh ' s Center for Biomedical Informatics deployed the first automated bioterrorism detection system , called RODS ( Real - Time Outbreak Disease Surveillance ) . RODS is designed to draw collect data from many data sources and use them to perform signal detection , that is , to detect a possible bioterrorism event at the earliest possible moment . RODS , and other systems like it , collect data from sources including clinic data , laboratory data , and data from over - the - counter drug sales . In 2000 , Michael Wagner , the codirector of the RODS laboratory , and Ron Aryel , a subcontractor , conceived the idea of obtaining live data feeds from " non - traditional " ( non - health - care ) data sources . The RODS laboratory ' s first efforts eventually led to the establishment of the National Retail Data Monitor , a system which collects data from 20 , 000 retail locations nation - wide . On February 5 , 2002 , George W . Bush visited the RODS laboratory and used it as a model for a US $ 300 million spending proposal to equip all 50 states with biosurveillance systems . In a speech delivered at the nearby Masonic temple , Bush compared the RODS system to a modern " DEW " line ( referring to the Cold War ballistic missile early warning system ) . The principles and practices of biosurveillance , a new interdisciplinary science , were defined and described in the " Handbook of Biosurveillance " , edited by Michael Wagner , Andrew Moore and Ron Aryel , and published in 2006 . Biosurveillance is the science of real - time disease outbreak detection . Its principles apply to both natural and man - made epidemics ( bioterrorism ) . Data which potentially could assist in early detection of a bioterrorism event include many categories of information . Health - related data such as that from hospital computer systems , clinical laboratories , electronic health record systems , medical examiner record - keeping systems , 911 call center computers , and veterinary medical record systems could be of help ; researchers are also considering the utility of data generated by ranching and feedlot operations , food processors , drinking water systems , school attendance recording , and physiologic monitors , among others . Intuitively , one would expect systems which collect more than one type of data to be more useful than systems which collect only one type of information ( such as single - purpose laboratory or 911 call - center based systems ) , and be less prone to false alarms , and this appears to be the case . In Europe , disease surveillance is beginning to be organized on the continent - wide scale needed to track a biological emergency . The system not only monitors infected persons , but attempts to discern the origin of the outbreak . Researchers are experimenting with devices to detect the existence of a threat : New research shows that ultraviolet avalanche photodiodes offer the high gain , reliability and robustness needed to detect anthrax and other bioterrorism agents in the air . The fabrication methods and device characteristics were described at the 50th Electronic Materials Conference in Santa Barbara on June 25 , 2008 . Details of the photodiodes were also published in the February 14 , 2008 issue of the journal Electronics Letters and the November 2007 issue of the journal IEEE Photonics Technology Letters . The United States Department of Defense conducts global biosurveillance through several programs , including the Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System . Response to bioterrorism incident or threat . Government agencies which would be called on to respond to a bioterrorism incident would include law enforcement , hazardous materials / decontamination units and emergency medical units . The US military has specialized units , which can respond to a bioterrorism event ; among them are the United States Marine Corps ' Chemical Biological Incident Response Force and the U . S . Army ' s 20th Support Command ( CBRNE ) , which can detect , identify , and neutralize threats , and decontaminate victims exposed to bioterror agents .