Are We Prepared for Biological Terrorism?
Microorganisms’ ability to cause disease leads to the formation of many illnesses. The most dangerous among them are contagious diseases. These diseases can spread naturally and can also be artificially produced in laboratories as biological weapons.
Given the possibility of microorganisms being used as weapons, certain precautions should be taken. Sufficient numbers of respiratory isolation rooms should be established for the first affected patients (airports and hospitals). In such a situation, the first affected patients should be admitted to respiratory isolation rooms, and treatment-related activities should be carried out. This prevents the spread of the microbe and prevents the transmission of germs to other patients and the public at airports and hospitals.
The extent of the threat and the preparedness of our airports and hospitals against such a biological attack depend on specific circumstances and the measures a country has in place. Generally, airports and hospitals have developed various protocols and plans to be prepared for biological attacks. However, each country may have different levels of preparedness and resources in this regard.
The potential risk of a biological attack during the return from Hajj pilgrimage intensifies during periods of high human traffic when pilgrims arrive from various countries. In such cases, airports and hospitals can implement predefined protocols to be prepared for infectious diseases. Measures such as health screenings for arriving pilgrims, having necessary isolation rooms, and creating emergency response plans can be put in place.
As a result, considering the possibility of such an attack, an adequate number of quarantine rooms and respiratory isolation rooms will be needed. These rooms should be prepared with negative pressure.
For this purpose, negative pressure isolation devices should be installed in ready-made rooms so that these rooms can be converted into isolation rooms when necessary.
First and foremost, starting with airports, especially in cities with international airports, immediate preliminary work should be initiated for rooms that can be converted into isolation rooms in at least one fully-equipped hospital.
Otherwise, such an attack cannot be contained. It will spread to all hospital staff and the public, resulting in billions of lira in financial losses and causing massive human casualties, ultimately devastating the country.
