title: Medical management of biological warfare and bioterrorism: place of the immunoprevention and the immunotherapy.
abstract: Biological weapons are considered as mass destruction and terror weapons. Terrorism including bioterrorism is the major threat in the future conflicts for our nations. The aim of bioterrorism is more related to the potential disorganisation of the society than to the lethal effects of the agents used. The dramatic consequences cannot be discarded, especially if contagious agents such viral are used. The preparation of specific defence measures is a major challenge for our countries. The knowledge acquired from the struggle against natural infectious diseases and recent events are essential to improve behaviours to face the biological weapon threats. The defence attitude is based on the anticipation of the threat, the management of the victims, and the restoration of the operational capabilities. This global defence attitude implies six important functions: (i) alert, (ii) detection and diagnosis, (iii) availability of pharmaceutical countermeasures such as vaccine, sera and anti-infectious medicine and products, (iv) medical management of victims, (v) training and information, (vi) research and development. Passive and active immunoprevention and immuntherapy belong to the approaches discussed in the context of bioterrorism countermeasures. Further researches might be focused on these topics.
authors.affiliation: Direction centrale du service de santé des Armées, BP 125, 00459, Armees, France. dcssa-ast-rec@wanadoo.fr
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Binder
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Attre
authors.forename: Jean Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Boutin
authors.forename: Jean Didier
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Cavallo
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Debord
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jouan
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vidal
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000881:Anthrax / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D001694:Biological Warfare; D023482:Bioterrorism; D001906:Botulism / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D002959:Civil Defense / Q000379:methods; D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D012899:Smallpox / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D014611:Vaccination / Q000379:methods