Bioterrorism: Potential hazards and countermeasures

An intense discussion is currently taking place on the hazards to which our society may be exposed by the intentional use of pathogenic biological agents. Biological weapons of mass destruction in the hands of terrorist groups pose a particularly serious asymmetric threat. Effective defence concepts are not yet available. As a result of rapid technological progress in this field, it is increasingly difficult to make a realistic assessment of the hazard situation and potential technological countermeasures. These play a crucial role in planning the necessary defence concepts.