The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health headed by Samajwadi Party MP Ramgopal Yadav has called for an effective laws to counter bio-terrorism in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.
- The report titled “The Outbreak of Pandemic COVID-19 And its Management”, has outlined a seven-point action plan that is needed to ensure security against biological weapons.
- The report did not explicitly state that the COVID-19 virus was a bio-weapon.
- The report also says that there are 7,13,986 government hospital beds which amounts to 0.55 per 1000 population and 12 states rank below the national average.
The action plan include:
- strengthening disease surveillance, including at animal-human interface, training and capacity building for management of public health emergencies arising from use of bio-weapons
- strengthening research and surveillance activities related to development of diagnostics, vaccines and drugs”.
- engaging with agencies and actively participate in ongoing international treaties.
What is Bioterrorism?
- According to the US-CDC (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention ), a biological attack, or bioterrorism, is the intentional release of viruses, bacteria, or other germs that can sicken or kill people, livestock, or crops.
- Bacillus anthracis, the bacteria that causes anthrax, is one of the most likely agents to be used in a biological attack.
- Anthrax has been used as a weapon around the world for nearly a century. In 2001, powdered anthrax spores were deliberately put into letters that were mailed through the U.S. postal system.
(References: The Hindu, US-CDC and WHO)
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