Biological Warfare―The Real Pandora's Box: Learning From the Past

It is necessary to assess the risks generated by various micro-organisms that can be used as biological weapons and to understand the process of their development and the use of biological agents over time. Biological agents used for military purposes may be more powerful than conventional weapons and chemical weapons. Over the past century, advances in biotechnology and biochemistry have simplified the development and production of such weapons, and genetic engineering probably holds the most dangerous potential for making biological weapons. Ease of production, broad availability of biological agents and technical knowledge has led to the proliferation of biological weapons and a growing desire among developing countries to hold them.