The Ebola crisis in West Africa (2014–2016) and especially the Corona pandemic in the early 2020s reminded us of the challenge to contain and manage pandemic diseases in a globalised and interconnected world. Although the Ebola outbreak was a naturally occurring epidemic, terrorist organisations or states could create ‘man-made’ pandemics in the form of biological weapons (BW) in the future.

This learning unit addresses the challenges to prevent acts of biowarfare and bioterrorism in an era of rapid advances and diffusion of sensitive biotechnologies.

After completing this learning unit, you will:

• understand the technical foundations of BW
• have an overview of historical BW programmes
• comprehend the nature of bioterrorism
• be familiar with the political context of biological weapons
• have better knowledge of the international legal framework aimed at prohibiting the possession and use of BW