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- Biological Warfare Agents
The use of biological
agents in warfare has been in existence since the time of the
well poisoners in ancient Greece and Rome. Only in modern times
has Biological Warfare (BW) become a concept which has frightened
those who understand the ramifications. Their contagiousness
and reproductive abilities, the very features which makes biological
agents effective, also make them highly uncontrollable and likely
to attack the users as well as the targets. One only has to consider
the spread of HIV and Ebola from Central Africa to every nation
of the world to understand how uncontrollable a disease organism
can be. BW is essentially the intentional release of disease
organisms into the atmosphere and those organisms' spread can
be just as dramatic.
The rules in this chapter consider biological agents which have
been examined by modern military forces and provides data on
their application and symptoms. The agents are broken down into
viral, rickettsial, bacterial, and mycotal agents.
-
-
-
- Biological Weapons
The term biological weapon
refers to a means of attack where the offensive item is a biological
agent. Biological agents are living organisms which are intended
to cause diseases or death in human, animal, or plant life. They
are organisms which are highly contagious and rely on this and
their ability to reproduce to maintain their impact on a targeted
population. This makes the agents strategic weapons, and they
are quite capable of devastating entire cities or nations with
their effect being limited only by how much contact the infected
have with the rest of the population.
- In many of these agent's cases,
medical science does not allow anything more than therapy of
symptoms, there being no therapy to treat the agent itself. In
such cases, human and animal targets must rely on their own immune
systems to combat an infection, and often, the immune system
is simply inadequate.
-
- Modern Background:
Research into the nature
of disease organisms in the ninteenth century brought forward
the idea among militaries that bacteria and other agents could
be controlled and used as a means of attacking an enemy. The
ability to control such agents, and use them to attack enemy
troops was an appealing one, for disease at the time was more
lethal than any other weapon. Prior to the twentieth century,
disease had been a factor among militaries on campaigns and more
troops had died of disease than of enemy steel and fire.
- Advances in firearms during
the late ninteenth century made disease a less prominent feature
on the battlefield, and it was not until firepower bogged down
in the muddy trenches of World War I that the idea of alternative
weapons such as chemical and biological agents was seriously
considered.
- Biological weapons were not
used in that war, and in 1925, the Geneva Protocol, recognizing
the danger of "alternative weapons," banned the use
of bacterial agents. Despite the protocol, research into such
weapons continued.
During World War II, the British, in cooperation with the Americans
and Canadians tested bacteriological and chemical weapons. One
of the weapons systems tested was anthrax, code named Agent N,
which was placed into bombs which were dropped from cranes on
Gruinard Island, just off the coast of Scotland. The testing
has contaminated the island's soil with anthrax, and the island
remains under quarantine to this day. In Europe, the Nazi governement
of Germany was conducting horrible medical experiments on concentration
camp prisoners, including exposing them to potential BW agents.
On the other side of the world, the Japanese were testing biological
agents on prisoners of war. The Japanese Unit 731 was officially
titled the "Kwantung Army Anti-Epidemic Water Supply and
Purification Department", but its real purpose was to experiment
with bacteria as weapons of war. At least 3000 prisoners of war,
ranging from Chinese to Soviet to American, were exposed to biological
agents, and more than 1000 of those prisoners died as a result.
Also, there are reports that Unit 731 was involved in the release
of anthrax and paratyphoid (not listed) bacteria on eleven Chinese
cities between 1940 and 1944.
Following the war, captured members of Unit 731 were brought
to the United States and offered amnesty in return for their
researches. This began a more intensive research program by the
United States into the potentials of BW. Agents were developed
and stockpiled by the United States and the United Kingdom, and
quite likely by the Soviet Union as well, although the Soviet
government has always denied ever possessing BW agents or munitions.
- Then, in 1972, these three nations
signed the Biological Weapons Convention, which banned all stockpiling
of biological agents and biological toxins and their delivery
systems. There are at least 100 other signatory nations to this
document.
Though there have been allegations that major superpowers are
violating the agreement, there is no incontrovertable evidence
to support the allegations. The United States points to the Soviet
Union's sudden outbreak of anthrax at Sverdlovsk in 1979 as being
a BW accident and the reports of Yellow Rain (See Section 2.8)
as being evidence of a BW capability. Conversely, the Soviet
Union points to the United States' continued research into these
agents as evidence of development of a BW capability. Despite
these allegations, at present, no nation is expected to possess
stockpiles of biological agents for use in a future military
conflict.
- This does not preclude the use
of biological agents as terrorist weapons. The chapter on Chemical
weapons has already mentioned the 1980 raid on a West German
Red Army Faction safehouse which uncovered a bathtub of botulism
culture, and the 1984 efforts of two Canadians to acquire botulism
and tetanus culture from a Maryland research facility. These
two incidents underscore the potential for use of biological
agents by terrorist forces.
At present, the great fear of medical researchers is the potential
genetic engineering offers to BW research and development. Although
genetic engineering can be used to develop effective vaccines
and treatments against many diseases, the risk is that it may
be used to make BW agents more lethal or make them more selective.
A possible development in BW using genetic engineering is the
creation of an ethnic disease, a weapon that attacks only targets
of certain racial/genetic characteristics. These are only two
of the possibilities which make the future of BW a frightening
one.
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- Administration of Biological Agents
Biological agents use
identical methods and munitions as chemical agents. However,
the nature of the biological agents upon release and infection
varies tremendously from chemical agents.
This section provides rules for resolving contamination and dispersal
effects of biological agents.
-
- Active Period:
A biological agent upon
release passes through an active period during which time it
can contaminate and infect its targets without requiring a host
body to survive. The active period is listed below for aerial
and water release:
-
- Active Period
|
Agent Type |
Aerial |
Water |
|
Virus |
36 hrs |
7 days |
|
Rickettsia |
48 hrs |
7 days |
|
Bacteria* |
4 days |
15 days |
|
Fungi |
4 days |
4 days |
-
-
- * Note that anthrax can survive
in spore form indefinitely by infecting the soil. Normally, such
a case would require heavy bombardment--a single weapon would
be insufficient to cause such contamination. Under heavy anthrax
bombardment, the
contaminated zone is deemed permanently contaminated.
-
-
- Contamination: Aerial Release
Aerial release methods include groundbursts, aerial spraying,
and projectors, and are usually military biological munitions.
They are release methods which characterize popular conceptions
of biological warfare (BW).
Aerial release methods work by introducing the biological agents
into the atmosphere in an aerosol form, much like common chemical
chemical agents. When an aerial release munition discharges,
it produces a cloud of the agent which proceeds to move downwind
at the wind speed and will continue to do so for the full length
of the active period. Any area which has been touched by the
cloud is contaminated as long as the active period has not elapsed.
- Any unprotected person or animal
inside a contaminated area during the active period runs a chance
of being infected. The contaminated area is deemed to be non-contaminated
at the end of the active period.
-
- Contamination: Water/Food
Release
A less common concept
of BW is the use of biological agents to contaminate water or
food supplies of targeted populations. It is a very slow, but
effective method of attacking a city population or attacking
the export/agricultural economy of a nation. By simply introducing
the agent into a city's water supply, an attacker could have
the agent delivered to his target's kitchen faucet. Modern urban-water
supply filtration systems will normally pick out harmful biological
agents (and even chemical agents) to prevent such an attack,
but if the agent were introduced after the filtration process
or if there was no filtration system in place, the effects on
the city population would be devastating. The mere hysteria among
the targeted population could be as devastating as the effects
of the agent.
Also, the introduction of biological agents into food supplies,
like grain bins, livestock, processing plants, supermarkets,
or restaurants can have similar devastating effects. If biological
agents were introduced into imported food shipments prior to
inspection, and then discovered, all shipments from the exporter
nation to the inspecting nation would stop, causing tremendous
harm to the exporter's economy.
The foregoing are reasons why terrorist groups view biological
attack through water and food supplies as valuable weapons. Such
attacks allow them to target city populations or national economies
in a highly effective, yet inexpensive manner.
- Biological agents released into
water or food supplies behave quite differently than aerial-release
weapons. A water-released agent will spread through the entire
water system. A food-released agent will not spread and will
have an active period equal to the aerial-released active period.
- Any person ingesting the water
or the food during the active period will be exposed to the biological
agent and may become infected.
-
- Vectors:
Because the active period
has elapsed in a contaminated area does not mean that the area
is safe. People and animals can still become infected if they
are exposed to vectors.
Vectors are sources of infection which have been established
by the biological agent. What has happened is the agent has infected
a person, an animal, or even the soil, and the agent can then
travel from that Vector to attack an uninfected target using
its normal method of transmission. The Vector will remain active
until cured, treated, or destroyed. For example, the British
experimented with anthrax bombs on Gruinard Island off the coast
of Scotland and contaminated the island's soil with anthrax.
Though the island is quarantined, thus preventing the infection
from spreading, the vector--the contaminated soil--is still dangerous,
even fifty years later.
Any person or animal which was infected by the original biological
agent cloud or through transmission of the disease from another
vector becomes a vector. Soil will almost never become a vector
because the required amount of agent to which the soil must be
exposed is enormous. Gruinard Island's soil became a vector only
after repeated bombing with anthrax.
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- Infection and Disease Rules
The effects of biological
agents on characters are determined in three steps: infection,
symptoms, and treatment.
-
- STEP 1: INFECTION
A character can become
infected in two ways. Either he is infected by being in the area
contaminated by a biological agent cloud while the cloud is still
active, or he can be infected by exposure to a vector.
-
- Infection via Contamination:
If a character is exposed
without protection to contamination during the active period,
he must make a 00-99 roll against the Contraction Number. If
he rolls over the contraction Number, he avoids being infected.
How the disease is normally transmitted (TRX) does not apply
in this situation.
-
- Infection via Vectors:
If the character is exposed
a vector, the gamemaster checks the Disease Tables to find out
how the disease is transmitted (TRX). If the character has been
in any of those situations while exposed to the vector, the gamemaster
then rolls 00-99 to determine if the character contracts the
disease. If the roll is greater than the Contraction Number,
the character has managed to avoid being infected.
-
- Rolling Under the Contraction
Number:
If in either of the above
cases, however, the roll is less than or equal to the contraction
number, the character becomes infected and contracts the disease,
and the gamemaster proceeds to the next step--symptoms. The character
will never know that he has been infected until the symptoms
manifest themselves. For this reason, the gamemaster should make
the contraction roll in secret.
-
- Contraction Number:
The contraction number
is calculated by taking the disease's Contraction Chance (CTC)
and subtracting the character's current HLT score. Any fractions
in the HLT score are rounded off to the nearest whole number.
Contraction
Number = CTC - Current HLT
-
- Example: Niki gets caught in an anthrax-contaminated
area after the active period has elapsed, so she is safe from
infection that way. However, she comes across a dead soldier
and removes her mask to examine him. The dead soldier is a vector
for the anthrax used in the attack, and Niki has just contaminated
herself by taking in his airborne anthrax particles. The gamemaster
secretly rolls 00-99 and rolls a 35. The CTC of Anthrax is 75
minus Niki's HLT of 14 = 61. Since the roll is under the Contraction
Number, Niki has contracted anthrax.
-
- Methods of Transmission:
Disease transmission through contact with bodily fluids requires
that the infected fluid must enter the victim's body in some
way. This can include bites, blood transfusions, infected needles,
oral contact (such as a kiss), or sexual intercourse unless otherwise
specified. Transmission through bites only occurs if the bite
breaks the skin. The bite must pass through any clothing and
the skin itself before the disease-carrying saliva of the can
enter the victim's body. Bites will not penetrate boot-thick
leather or any type of armor. The same applies to infected needles.
Disease transmission through airborne particles means that any
characters in the proximity of the disease source run the risk
of becoming infected. Characters who use air-filtration gear
or have an independent air supply are not at risk provided that
they decontaminate their clothing prior to removing the air filtration
gear. The airborne particles can attach themselves to clothing
and later be inhaled by the wearer.
Disease transmission through contaminated food and water only
occurs if the characters actually ingest the food or water. Note
that this applies even to food obtained or prepared in a settlement.
- Disease transmission through
contact or contact with infected feces occurs in two stages.
The contact itself is harmless, but the character's skin is contaminated.
If the contaminated skin comes into contact with a cut on the
skin, membranes in the nose, eyes, or mouth, or by contaminating
food or water the character ingests, then the character has a
chance of contracting the disease.
- Disease transmission through
flies, fleas, or body lice occurs when the character is in close
proximity with the insects. Only an isolation suit that is decontaminated
prior to being removed will prevent the insects from passing
on their diseases.
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- STEP 2: SYMPTOMS
Symptoms progress through
three phases: incubation, early symptoms, and advanced symptoms.
During any of these times, the progress of the disease can be
arrested by making a Disease Recovery Roll (DRR). This is calculated
by taking the RR value of the disease and subtracting the character's
current HLT score as well as any modifiers for treatment. If
a 00-99 roll is lower than this number, the progress of the disease
is arrested. Otherwise the disease continues to the next phase.
-
- DRR
= RR + HLT + (Treatment Modifiers)
-
- A DRR can only be made once
at the end of each symptomatic phase.
-
- Incubation Period
All diseases pass through
an incubation period (IP). During this time, there are no symptoms,
and the disease cannot be diagnosed by any medic. However, medics
can initiate a program of treatment if they suspect that the
circumstances would mean that a disease has been contracted.
An example of such a situation would be an animal bite, where
the animal was shown or suspected to be infected with a disease.
If a DRR indicates that the disease is arrested in the incubation
period, then there are no further ill effects.
-
- Example: Niki contracted anthrax in the last
example, and has been undergoing the Incubation Period unaware
of any problem and has not had any treatment. The Incubation
Period lasted (random roll of 3 on a (5) = ) 3 days. At the end
of the third day, the gamemaster makes a DRR for her. He determines
her DRR to be an anthrax RR of -10 plus her HLT of 14 for a DRR
of 4. The gamemaster rolls a 72 on a 00-99 and determines that
she advances to the early symptomatic phase of the disease.
-
- Early Symptomatic Phase
If the disease is not
arrested during the incubation phase, the early symptoms begin
at the end of the IP. These symptoms will usually debilitate
the character and prevent him from engaging in any activity other
than resting. A character is treated as being fatigued during
this time in addition to suffering from the associated Early
Symptoms. The early symptoms last for the amount of time indicated
in the brackets.
- A medic can attempt to make
a diagnosis of the disease based on the symptoms by making a
medical skill test (Base Odds = 7). Failure means that he misdiagnoses
the disease and he will believe it to be a disease listed under
Differential Diagnosis of the disease descriptions. If there
is no differential diagnosis listed, then the medic simply cannot
identify the disease.
- As an alternative, the gamemaster
can hand the disease descriptions to the player of the medic
character and let him figure out what the disease is based on
the description of the symptoms.
A DRR can be made at the end of the early symptomatic phase and
if successful, the disease is arrested during this period and
the character suffers a debility period equal to the listed Healing
Time (HT). During this time, the character is treated as being
fatigued. The fatigue associated with the disease is removed
at the end of the HT. If the DRR is failed, the disease progresses
to the advanced symptomatic phase.
-
- Example: Niki, in the early
symptomatic phase of anthrax, has been feeling fever and malaise
and having labored breathing and coughing. On the first day of
the symptoms, the medic attempts to diagnose the problem and
rolls a 12 on a 3(6), thus exceeding the needed base odds of
7 plus his own SL of 3. The medic has no idea what the problem
could be, but attempts to relieve her symptoms anyhow and confines
her to bed. After 3 days, Niki must make another DRR. Since she
has not received the treatment required, her DRR remains at
RR of -10 plus HLT of 14 for a 4. She rolls a 23 and fails again.
She advances to the advanced symptomatic phase.
-
- Advanced Symptomatic Phase
During the advanced symptomatic
phase, the early symptoms continue and the advanced symptoms
are added to the character's list of sufferings. These symptoms
last for the amount of time listed in brackets. At the end of
this time, a final DRR is allowed. If this DRR is failed, the
character dies of the disease. If, however, the DRR is successfully
rolled, then the character suffers debility for the HT as he
would for the early symptoms.
-
- Example: In the advanced symptomatic phase of
her anthrax, Niki's symptoms have become much worse. The medic,
in desperation, tries a broad-spectrum antibiotic as treatment.
After 5 days, Niki makes her final DRR. This time, it is an RR
of -10 plus Niki's HLT of 14 plus 30 for the antibiotic therapy
for a 34. Niki rolls a 17 and survives the disease. She now suffers
a debility of 5 days before she is fully recovered. Had she failed
this DRR, she would have died at the end of the advanced symptomatic
phase.
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- STEP 3: TREATMENT
The progress of a disease
can be arrested through the application of the proper treatment.
Each disease has a list of appropriate treatments and only those
treatments listed will be effective in combatting the infection.
Short descriptions of the various types of treatment are given
below. The listed treatments can be used in conjunction with
one another.
The effectiveness of treatment varies with the phase of the disease.
Each description has a series of effectiveness ratings given
in parentheses after the title. The series consists of three
numbers separated by slashes. The first number is the effectiveness
of the treatment being applied during the incubation period.
The second gives the effectiveness of the treatment if it is
applied during the early symptoms phase, and the final number
is the effectiveness of the treatment if applied during the advanced
symptoms phase.
-
- Treatments:
-
- Antibiotics (5/15/30)
This is a program of
pharmaceuticals given to the patient. The pharmaceuticals can
either be in pill or injection form. These antibiotics are deemed
to be broad-spectrum, meaning that one antibiotic type will be
effective against all diseases listed.
-
- Restore Fluids (0/5/10)
The restoration of fluids
ensures that the patient is not dehydrated by vomiting or excessive
sweating. In most cases, this treatment is simply regularly giving
the patient something to drink, but in more severe cases, intravenous
fluids are used.
-
- Relieve Symptoms (0/10/20)
The relief of symptoms
is the use of pharmaceuticals or physical means to alleviate
the patient's pain or to lower his fever.
-
- Rest (0/5/10)
Rest means bedrest and
sleep. The patient cannot perform any work if this treatment
is to be applied. If he does, then any benefit gained from the
treatment is lost.
-
- Vaccine (90/65/10)
The vaccine treatment
is the injection of a weakened form of the virus into the patient's
body in order to build up a resistance to the disease by the
body's immune system. Each vaccine is specific to one disease
and there is no broad-spectrum vaccine available. There are,
however, mixtures of numerous vaccines available where one mixture
will protect against a variety of diseases. Note that only the
diseases with vaccine listed can use this treatment.
-
- SPECIAL NOTE ON VACCINES:
The most common use of
a vaccine is not as a therapy after infection, but to build up
the immune system to prevent infection. Vaccines will provide
effective protection to a person for an average of six months
following injection. They are normally administered through individual
injections of killed or weakened agent into the combatant, although
American researchers are expected to be working on aerosol vaccines.
Aerosol vaccines would allow, for example, an aircraft to spray
and thus immunize an entire city against a specific disease.
If an agent has a vaccine, it will be listed in the notes accompanying
the agent's description. A vaccinated population will be unaffected
by the natural occurrence of the disease, but also by the intentional
attacks of the disease-causing agent.
-
- Viral Agents
Viral agents have been
examined as an integral part of BW research. In many cases, they
are the preferred agents because they are easy to manipulate
and study, highly contagious, difficult to diagnose, and often
cannot be treated except by treating the symptoms.
Viruses are organisms consisting of a protien shell encasing
simple genetic material. They are normally inert except when
they come in contact with a specific cell. At that point, they
link up with the cell wall and inject the genetic material into
the cell itself. This genetic material alters the functioning
of the cell, possibly by altering the cell's own genetic code.
In any case, the cell is now producing more genetic material
to match that of the original virus and using the cell's own
energy to do it. Eventually, the cell ruptures, releasing hundreds
to thousands of new viruses. In some cases, the cell does not
rupture, but reproduces itself normally, albeit with its altered
genetic code.
- The agents discussed in this
section have been examined by militaries as potential BW weapons
or have been threatened to be used as BW weapons by non-military
groups.
-
- Chickungunya Fever
Differential Diagnosis:
Dengue, Malaria, Yellow fever, Influenza
TRX: Contact with insects
CTC: 75
IP: 3(4) Days
Early Symptoms [(6) Days]: Excruciating joint pain causing
incapacitation. Fever. Mild headache. Anorexia and constipation.
- Advanced Symptoms [6 + (6)
Days]: Fever drops for
(3) days, then returns at lower intensity. Rash. Continued, worsening
joint pain.
Treatment: Relieve Symptoms.
RR: 70 HT: 4 Months. Joint pains can continue during HT.
Notes: Vaccine under development. Agent intended to incapacitate.
-
- Dengue Fever
Differential Diagnosis:
Malaria, Yellow Fever, Influenza, Chickungunya
TRX: Contact with insects (Mosquitoes)
CTC: 75
IP: 3 + (6) Days
Early Symptoms [4 Days]: Sudden onset of high fever and chilliness.
There is severe aching of the head, back, and extremi-
ties. Sore throat. Prostration. Anorexia and constipation.
Advanced Symptoms [2 + (2) Days]: Fever drops for (2)
Days, then returns. Rash appears.
Treatment: Rest. Relieve Symptoms
RR: 70 HT: 3 + (3) Weeks.
Notes: Also called Breakbone fever. A vaccine is available,
but has not been commercially produced. During HT, vision problems
(blurred vision) may arise and fade by the end of the HT. Agent
intended to incapacitate.
-
- Eastern Equine Encephalitis
Differential Diagnosis:
Influenza
TRX: Contact with insects (Mosquitoes), contact with bodily fluids.
CTC: 65
IP: (4) Days
Early Symptoms [(2) Days]: Nausea, vomiting, headache, and
fever.
Advanced Symptoms [3 + (6) Days]: After a short period
of well being, the following symptoms manifest: very high fever,
gastro-intestinal disturbances, convulsions, general rigidity,
swelling of limbs and face, cyanosis, and drowsiness possibly
leading to coma.
Treatment: Relieve Symptoms, Replace Fluids.
RR: 10 HT: 3 Weeks
Notes: Vaccine available. Common in horses and other equine
animals. Agent intended to kill.
-
- Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus
(H.I.V)
Differential Diagnosis:
None.
TRX: Contact with bodily fluids. Airborne particles?
CTC: 99
IP: 10(10) Months
Early Symptoms [5 + (3) Months]: H.I.V. progresses to Acquired
Immune Deficiency Syndrome (A.I.D.S.). The immune system is slowly
destroyed. Substantial weight loss occurs in later part. Persistent
fatigue. Diarrhea. Enlarged lymph glands. Night sweats or fevers.
Hairy leukoplakia--a hairy white/grey growth on the toungue.
Advanced Symptoms [3 + (3) Months]: Any or all of the
following may develop:
- Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia
(PCP) - Severe shortness of breath and heavy cough.
- Kaposi's sarcoma - skin cancer
manifesting as purplish lumps or patches on the skin or in the
gastro-intestinal tract.
- Brain Infection - confusion,
disorientation, loss of concentration.
- By this point, the immune system
has been destroyed, and the person is highly susceptible to other
communicable diseases. His HLT is effectively a -10.
Treatment: Antibiotics? Relieve symptoms
RR: -50 HT: n/a
Notes: Not a lethal virus per se, although at this point
in time, H.I.V. is 100% fatal. H.I.V. attacks the human immune
system and cripples it permanently. Death does not necessarily
come by viral action, but through secondary infections, such
as pneumonias, tuberculosis, etc. The gamemaster should use such
secondary infections in determining the outcome of an H.I.V.
infection. As H.I.V. is a very infectious virus, and thus possibly
of military or terrorist interest, it has been included in this
book. Potential applications in a BW context include water-release
or poisoning a blood supply. It is also possible that the virus
could be dispersed as an aerosol from a groundburst, spray tank,
orprojector. Whether airborne particles could infect targets
is a matter of debate. For the purposes of this book, it is assumed
that such infection can occur.
No vaccine available. Agent is intended to kill.
-
- At the time of writing, there
was a great deal of speculation on the infectious nature of H.I.V.
At present, conventional medical thought is that HIV can only
be trasnmitted by contact with bodily fluids.
-
- Influenza
Differential Diagnosis: Flu virus (not listed)
TRX: Airborne particles
CTC: 65
IP: (4) Days
Early Symptoms [1 Day]: Abrupt onset of fever, chills, malaise,
aches, sore throat.
Advanced Symptoms [2 Days]: All early symptoms get progressively
worse.
Treatment: Relieve symptoms, rest, replace fluids.
RR: 10 HT: 2 Days
Notes: Influenza is a very serious and often lethal disease
that often appears in epidemics. Making it even more lethal is
a 20% chance of the patient developing Viral Pneumonia after
the HT is completed. Vaccine available. Agent is intended to
incapacitate.
-
- Smallpox / Variola
Differential Diagnosis: Chickenpox or Herpes Zoster (not listed)
TRX: Contact.
CTC: 85
IP: 7 + (10) Days
Early Symptoms [1 + (3) Days]: Chills, fever, headaches,
lumbar pain, vomiting.
Advanced Symptoms [7 Days]: Fever falls on first day and
a rash appears on face and extremities.
Treatment: Vaccine. Relieve Symptoms. Replace Fluids.
NOTE: QUARANTINE ALL PERSONS THOUGHT TO BE INFECTED.
RR: 20 HT: 4 Weeks
Notes: Believed to have been eradicated by vaccination
by the World Health Organization in 1979. Vaccine exists. Agent
is intended to kill.
-
- Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis
Differential Diagnosis: Influenza
TRX: Contact with insects, contact with bodily fluids,
airborne particles.
CTC: 65
IP: 2 + (3) Days
Early Symptoms: [2 Days] Abrupt onset of fever, chills,
malaise, aches, sore throat.
Advanced Symptoms: [(3) Days] All early symptoms get progressively
worse.
Treatment: Relieve symptoms. Replace fluids.
RR: 50 HT: 1 Week
Notes: Resembles a mild case of influenza. Common disease
in horses. Vaccine available. Agent intended to incapacitate.
-
- Viral Pneumonia
Differential Diagnosis: Other pneumonias (not listed).
TRX: Airborne Particles, contact, illnesses.
CTC: 80
IP: (3) Days
Early Symptoms: [5 Days] Cough, fever, sore throat, body
pain, fluid-filled lungs.
Advanced Symptoms: [5 Days] All early symptoms continue.
Treatment: Relieve symptoms, rest.
RR: 20 HT: 21 Days
Notes: Viral Pneumonia can sometimes develop (20% chance)
after a bout of influenza. Also, the symptoms are duplicated
by pneumonic plague (q.v.). This is not a BW weapon, but is
included for convenience as a secondary infection following other
infections.
-
- Western Equine Encephalitis
Differential Diagnosis: None
TRX: Contact with Insects. Contact with bodily fluids.
CTC: 65
IP: 5 + (5) Days
Early Symptoms [4 Days]: Headache, drowsiness, fever, gastro-intestinal
disturbances.
Advanced Symptoms [4 Days]: Insomnia, muscle pain, lethargy,
mental confusion, disturbance of speech, possible amnesia,
and possible coma.
Treatment: Relieve symptoms. Vaccine (see notes).
RR: 50 HT: 2 Weeks
Notes: Vaccine available. It is an effective therapy at
half-effect if given within the first 48 hours following infection,
and no effect after that. Agent is intended to incapacitate.
-
- Yellow Fever
Differential Diagnosis: Hepatitis, Jaundice (not listed)
TRX: Contact with insects (Mosquitoes)
CTC: 65
IP: 2 + (4) Days
Early Symptoms [3 Days]: Malaise, headache, fever, pain in
eyes, nausea, and vomiting. Also severe body pains, prostration,
bleeding into the skin and from mucous membranes.
Advanced Symptoms [(3) Days]: Slight relief on first day,
then all previous symptoms return. Delerium.
Treatment: Relieve Symptoms
RR: 25 HT: 2 Weeks
Notes: Vaccine available. Agent intended to kill.
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-
- Rickettsial Agents
Rickettsia are the causes of obscure but still dangerous diseases.
The difficulty in diagnosing such diseases makes them attractive
to BW researchers because it prevents a targeted enemy from being
able to effectively counteract them.
Rickettsia are between viruses and bacteria in size and are structurally
similar to bacteria. Rickettsia follow similar life patterns
to bacteria. However, Rickettsia do not have an adequate cell
membrane and, like viruses, are prone to destruction by drying
out.
-
- Psittacosis
Differential Diagnosis:
None
TRX: Airborne particles. Contact with bodily fluids. Ingestion.
CTC: 60
IP: (2) Weeks
Early Symptoms [7 days]: Chills, fever, anorexia, sore throat,
malaise, headache.
Advanced Symptoms [7 Days]: Continued, but worsening.
Treatment: Antibiotics. Relieve symptoms
RR: 40 HT: 1 Week
Notes: Also called parrot fever. Vaccine available. Agent
intended to incapacitate.
-
- Q-Fever
Differential Diagnosis:
Psittacosis. Brucellosis. Pneumonia, Hepatititis, Tuberculosis
(not listed).
TRX: Caused by a parasite of cattle, sheep and goats. TRX is
by airborne particles, ingestion of infected milk, contact with
feces.
CTC: 50
IP: (3) Weeks
Early Symptoms [5 Days]: Prostration, muscle pain, abdominal
pain, cough, jaundice.
Advanced Symptoms [7 Days]: Continued
Treatment: Antibiotics. Relieve Symptoms.
RR:65 HT: 2 Weeks.
Notes: Vaccine available. Designed to incapacitate.
-
- Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Differential Diagnosis:
Typhoid, measles (not listed)
TRX: Contact with insects (ticks)
CTC: 50
IP: 3 + (6) Days
Early Symptoms [1 + (5) Days]: Anorexia, malaise, nausea,
headache, and sore throat. Progresses to include chills, fever,
aches in joints, bones, and muscles.
Advanced Symptoms [7 Days]: Vomiting. Rash. Delerium and
stupor possibly progressing to coma.
Treatment: Antibiotics.
RR: 30 HT: 2 Weeks
Notes: Vaccine available. Agent intended to kill.
-
- Epidemic Typhus
Differential Diagnosis:
Murine (endemic) Typhus (see notes).
TRX: Body Lice
CTC: 50
IP: 9 + (5) Days
Early Symptoms: [7 Days] Fever, malaise, headache, rash.
Advanced Symptoms: [8 Days] Worse rash, delerium, stupor.
Treatment: Antibiotics, rest.
RR: 20 HT: 7 Days
Notes: Murine Typhus is flea-borne and less severe (RR=35).
It is otherwise identical to Epidemic Typhus. Vaccine available.
Agent is intended to kill.
-
- Bacterial Agents
Bacterial agents once
made up the bulk of BW agents, although much of the focus has
now shifted to viral agents. Part of the reason for the shift
of focus is the ease of manipulating viruses, but also there
is the drawback that most bacterial infections can be treated
quite well with modern antibiotics. Nevertheless, bacterial agents
remain an important component of BW.
-
- Pulmonary Anthrax
Differential Diagnosis: None
TRX: Airborne Particles
CTC: 75
IP: (5) Days
Early Symptoms: [3 Days] Fever, malaise, labored breathing,
cough.
Advanced Symptoms: [5 Days] All early symptoms get progressively
worse.
Treatment: Antibiotics.
RR: -10 HT: 5 Days
Notes: Pulmonary Anthrax is common in livestock. It can
survive indefinitely in the soil in spore form, although it would
require very heavy bombardment for a permanently contaminated
anthrax zone to be established. Vaccine available. Agent intended
to kill.
-
- Brucellosis
Differential Diagnosis:
None.
TRX: Airborne particles. Contact.
CTC: 40
IP: 3(10) Days
Early Symptoms [7 Days]: Chills, fever, weakness with fatigue
and exhaustion, severe headache and backache. Night sweats. Abdominal
pains.
Advanced Symptoms [14 Days]: Continued, but worsening.
Treatment: Antibiotics.
RR: 30 HT: 1 Week
Notes: Vaccine available. Agent intended to kill.
-
- Cholera
Differential Diagnosis:
Baccilary Dysentery
TRX: Contaminated food and water
CTC: 50
IP: (5) Days
Early Symptoms: [2 Days] Diarrhea passing greyish feces,
abdominal cramps, vomiting.
Advanced Symptoms: [6+(4) Days] Dehydration, loss of color,
clammy skin, shallow breathing, 20% chance of coma.
Treatment: Restore fluids, antibiotics, relieve symptoms, rest.
RR: -5 HT: 14 Days
Notes: Common disease found in unsanitary conditions where
food and water may be contaminated by sewage. Vaccine available.
Agent intended to kill.
-
- Baccilary Dysentery
Differential Diagnosis:
Cholera
TRX: Flies, contaminated food and water, contact with infected
feces.
CTC: 80
IP: (3) Days
Early Symptoms: [3 Days] Blood and mucus in feces, fever,
chills, abdominal cramps.
Advanced Symptoms: [7 Days] Convulsions, lethargy, anorexia,
delerium, 50% chance of coma.
Treatment: Restore fluids, relieve symptoms.
RR: 20 HT: 17 Days
Notes: Dehydration may also result from sweating and diarrhea.
-
- Meningicoccal Meningitis
Differential Diagnosis:
None
TRX: Airborne Particles.
CTC: 45
IP: 5 Days
Early Symptoms [4 Days]: High fever, chills, and headache.
Pain in the back, abdomen, and extremities. Rash on skin and
mucous membranes.
Advanced Symptoms [4 Days]: Confusion and delerium leading
to coma. Shock (decreased blood pressure). Muscular spasm. Stiff
neck. Exaggerated reflexes. Rash has faded.
Treatment: Antibiotics.
RR: 10 HT: 3 Weeks
Notes: A dangerous infection and inflammation of the meninges,
a set of membranes which envelop the brain and spinal column.
Vaccine available. Agent intended to kill.
-
- Pneumonic Plague
Differential Diagnosis:
Flu, Influenza, various Pneumonias.
TRX: Contact with rat-borne fleas. Pneumonic is spread by airborne
particles (see notes).
CTC: 80
IP: (5) Days
Early Symptoms: [5 Days] Fever, swollen lymph nodes, abdominal
pain,
Advanced Symptoms: [10 Days] All early symptoms become
progressively worse. Also delerium and black rash (rash is for
bubonic only--see notes).
Treatment: Antibiotics, relief of symptoms.
RR: -20 HT: 80 Days
Notes: Both the bubonic and pneumonic plague are caused
by the same disease organism. The pneumonic form infects the
body through the lungs and so the characteristic black rash does
not appear. No vaccine available. Agent intended to kill.
-
- Tularemia
Differential Diagnosis:
Various pneumonias, cat scratch fever, and menigicoccal and rickettsial
infections.
TRX: Airborne particles. Contact.
CTC: Contact with animal tissues. Contact with Insects. Ingestion
of contaminated meat or water.
IP: 2(5) Days
Early Symptoms [(3) Days]: Fever, nausea, and headache begin
suddenly, with a papule or pimple forming at the point where
the agent contacted the skin. This papule soon ulcerates. If
the agent was ingested, there is gastro-intestinal disturbance,
stupor, and delerium.
Advanced Symptoms [(6) Days]: Delerium. Prostration. General
aches. Lymph nodes become enlarged and tender and start forming
pus.
Treatment: Antibiotics.
RR: 10 HT: 2 Weeks
Notes: A common disease among wild rodents (particularly
rabbits) which is normally passed on to man through his interactions
with the animals. One attack of tularemia generally confers immunity.
Vaccine available. Agent intended to kill.
-
- Typhoid Fever (Enteric Fever)
Differential Diagnosis:
Viral Pneumonia
TRX: Contaminated food and water.
CTC: 50
IP: 4 + (10) Days
Early Symptoms: [7+(3) Days] Increasing fever, chills, malaise,
coughs, vomiting.
Advanced Symptoms: [7+(3) Days] Stabilizing fever, diarrhea,
listlessness.
Treatment: Antibiotics, relief of symptoms, rest.
RR: 10 HT: 7+(3) Days
Notes: 1% of those infected can become carriers. These
people do not develop the symptoms but are treated as being vectors
for disease transmission purposes. Vaccine available. Agent intended
to kill.
-
- Fungal/Mycotal Agents
Fungal/Mycotal agents
have not been the subject of a great deal of research in the
BW field from a disease standpoint. Rather, the focus has been
on mycotal toxins, such as trichothecene mycotoxins, a potential
component of "Yellow Rain". At present, the United
States Army does not consider fungi themselves as antipersonnel
weapons. The Soviet Union and its allies have been alleged to
be experimenting with mycotal weapons, but this seems to be a
drive for mycotal toxins rather than using the organisms themselves
as the weapon. Fungal/Mycotal weapons are not expected to be
stockpiled nor used in a future conflict. Vaccines do not exist
for fungal/mycotal agents, but the United States is examining
the possibility of a trichothecene vaccine.
-
- Coccidioidomycosis
Differential Diagnosis:
Any flu-like disease (not listed). Influenza.
TRX: Airborne particles.
CTC: 60
IP: 3(10) Days
Early Symptoms [(2) Days]: Fever and chills, severe pain
in lungs, muscular ache, backache, cough, general weakness.
Advanced Symptoms [15 Days]: Prostration. Anorexia. Measle-like
rash soon followed by development of painless ring-type patches.
Treatment: Rest. Relieve symptoms. Antibiotics.
RR: 45 HT: 4 Weeks.
Notes: Agent intended to incapacitate
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