Abstract

HERNANDEZ-CHAVARRIA, Francisco  and  RIVERA, Patricia. Prevención contra diseminación: la antítesis entre epidemiología y guerra biológica. Rev. costarric. cienc. méd [online]. 2002, vol.23, n.1-2, pp.71-78. ISSN 0253-2948.

The acts of bioterrorism after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attempts arouse and recaptured the interest to review the theme related with biological weapons and possible bioterrorism implications. Such theme includes the definition of biological weapons as the infectious agents, toxins, and the newest modality represented by bioregulators (hormones, cytokines, neurotransmitters, etc.). In a retrospective view of this theme, bioethic problems due to the outrageous experiments designed during the World War II and the period of cool war arose, which lead to the improvement of biological weapons, such as occurred in lraq after the Golf war. This type of research raised the worldwide reprobation because of their flagrant disrespect to human rights. However, sometimes experiments with humans are misperceived such as the probes for treatments or vaccines that also violate the human rights but are masked with objectives that look very profitably to the humanity. Those experiments would be rejected, such as occurred with the research of biological weapons.

Keywords : Bioterrorism; biological war; anthrax; bioethics.