Bioweapon

WHY IN NEWS?

Many conspiracy theories surrounding COVID-19 as a man-made virus from Chinese lab in Wuhan has been taking rounds, this has triggered debates and duscussions on bioweapon and biosafety labs.

WHAT THE CONSPIRACY THEORIES PROPOSE?

• There has been acquisitions against China that the coronavirus pandemic may have been the result of an accident at a biosafety laboratory of level 4 in China’s Wuhan city.
• Some of the conspiracy theories have gone to the extreme of accusing that the Chinese deliberately launched a biological attack in order to position itself as the single greatest superpower while disrupting rival's industrial and economic capacity.
• This arguments against China is due to their habitual secrecy, big ambitions and usual disregard for life or the environment.
• The laboratory in Wuhan is the result of a collaborative effort with France, after the first SARS outbreak in 2002. The lab is said to be fully compliant with ISO standards, the Wuhan facility interacts regularly with a host of outside experts.
• The fact is that there is no data or supporting evidence to prove any of the acquisitions and moreover, it is not sane for China to use the same bioweapon against its own population in a plan to get it at everyone else.

WHAT ARE BIOWEAPONS?

• Biological weapons are those that use microorganisms or toxins from biological substances to induce disease in humans, livestock or plants.
• It is the deadliest weapon in any arsenal since unlike nuclear weapons it is difficult to map its spread.
• Countries suspected or known to have such programmes include the US, Russia, France, Germany, Japan, Canada, Israel, Iran and North Korea.
• The array of weapons includes anthrax, botulinum, smallpox and other such diseases that once plagued the world.
• Experiences in the recent past
  • During World War II Soviets used a deadly bacterium (tularaemia) against German troops that caused skin ulcers, severe vomiting and diarrhea.
  • Anthrax attacks across the US after the 9/11 attacks where lethal spores sent through anonymous letters, which was reported to be carried out by a person who had authorised access to anthrax spores at a US military lab.
  • There were allegations that US labs were linked to Ebola outbreaks in West Africa.

BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION (BWC), 1975

• Biological weapons are a subset of a larger class of weapons referred to as weapons of mass destruction, which also includes chemical, nuclear and radiological weapons.
• The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) , officially known as “Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction” was formed in 1975. And 183 nations, including India, China and the United States, are at present parties to it.
• The Convention was framed to outlaw biological weapons and prohibited the production or stockpiling of biological agents that have no justification for prophylactic, protective or other peaceful purposes.
• There are mainly two issues to this Convention:
  • Absence of a monitoring mechanism and its dependence on signatory states having their own legal biosecurity safeguards.
  • There are no proper guidelines on regulating academic research on bio-agents.

WAY FORWARD

• All these incidents are grim reminder of the threat of weaponised pathogens and the pressing need to revise the 1975 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC).
• Voluntary adherence never works for international agreements, and BWC is no exception.
• The line dividing academic research (aimed at public health) and the development of bioweapons is thin.
• Nations should deliberate and realise a new disarmament treaty with a global mechanism for verifying and ensuring strict compliance including sanctions against violators.
• India has excellent credentials for steering the discussions on framing a new convention, having never pursued an active bioweapons programme.

CONCLUSIOIN

• World Health Organization (WHO) seriously downplayed the coronavirus threat initially and was echoing the Chinese position that the virus was not contagious. This is a complete failure from the part of WHO as argued by the US.
• The Chinese owe apology and repercussions for keeping Covid-19 a secret for long, making it late for other nations to respond timely.
• Biological research laboratories are established to protect populations against new viruses and other organisms but the line between biological research and warfare can be very thin making them defensive to offensive study.
• Bio labs across the world have been a source of serious threat with the big powers seeing them as potentially usable as weapons of mass destruction.
• Alongside China, other powers will also have to finally end the idea of a biological war and power up absolute adherence to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention of 1975, and slowly work towards a new treaty with strict monitoring.

Practice Question

Q. With the onset of coronovirus pandemic there has been serious concerns surrounding biosafety labs and threat of bioweapons. Examine the concerns surrounding biosafety labs and the potential of Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) as a strong deterant.