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Smallpox Virus

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One of the pathogens that has been stored for the purpose of preparing for a bioterrorist attack is the infamous Smallpox. This virus was stored due to how decimating it was to humans on a massive scale, although thankfully Smallpox was eradicated from the world thanks to a vaccination that was implemented globally. Unfortunately, the virus has to be kept frozen in a couple of facilities in fear that other (unknown) individuals may have samples and may choose to use them against a population in the future (The age of viruses, 2005). If the virus was ever to be released, the current samples that are being stored would be needed for research purposes in order to begin countermeasures.
When analyzing these situations, the main bioethical principle that needs to be kept in mind is utilitarianism. When faced with situations such as these, nothing is more important than doing the most good for the most people (Lyons, 2001). The perspectives of said people must also be thought of, if a bioterrorism attack were to happen then the common folk would panic and rightfully so. Nothing is scarier than learning there is something out there that they could …show more content…
Thankfully, there are several internet sites detailing emergency response plans as well as information about previous pathogens utilized in bioterrorism attacks available to the public (CDC, 2017). The government and the military would also have to find the individual(s) responsible for the attack, in which case certain rights must be sacrificed. For example, if they were able to find the perpetrator utilizing cellphone conversations, I believe is just, so long as all other individuals did not have their privacy violated, such as random posting of personal photos or something of that

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