Author of Be Ready for Anything and Bloom Where You’re Planted online course
One thing I have learned after being involved in alternative journalism for all these years is that coincidences often lead toward some concrete event. Recently, some coincidences I have noticed have been related to biological attacks.
It’s always rather subtle but there are definitely patterns that can sometimes lead up to large, horrifying events. Now, the good news is that this is not always the case. Sometimes, there are genuinely unrelated events that mean absolutely nothing. But, I still believe it’s important to pay attention, don’t you?
It’s important to note that biological attacks are nothing new.
- In 2001, the anthrax attacks through the U.S. mail infected 11 people with inhalational anthrax, of which five died. An additional 11 people were infected with cutaneous (skin) anthrax, of which there were no fatalities.
- In the 1990s, the cult Aum Shinrikyo failed in attempts to release anthrax and botulinum toxin in Tokyo but did succeed in a chemical attack with Sarin nerve agent.
- In 1984, the cult followers of Baghwan Shree Rajneesh sickened 751 people in Oregon by placing salmonella bacteria in salad bars in 10 restaurants to keep people from voting in an election.
- In World War II, Unit 731 in Japanese-occupied Manchuria dropped plague-infected fleas in China, allegedly resulting in more than 50,000 deaths.
- In World War I, German agents successfully infected Allied livestock with anthrax and glanders.
- In the 1340s, Europeans threw plague-infected cadavers over city walls to infect those within.
Now, however, the biological attacks are a lot more sophisticated. And over the past year, there’s been quite a lot of talk about biological attacks. Let’s take a look.
July 2018: The FDA has approved a smallpox drug.
Last week, the FDA announced that they had approved TPOXX as the first drug to treat smallpox. Now, the FDA approves new medications all the time, but what makes this so interesting is the fact that smallpox has been completely eradicated. The last natural case occurred in 1977. It was eradicated through a vaccination program, but the vaccine proved dangerous.
It has the potential to cause serious, even deadly, side effects. And not everyone can receive the vaccine. As Peter J. Hotez, dean of Baylor College of Medicine’s National School of Tropical Medicine, told the New York Times, we can’t give the smallpox vaccine to people who are pregnant, H.I.V. positive, undergoing cancer treatments, or with other health conditions. (source)
Here’s what the FDA had to say about TPOXX in a press statement:
“To address the risk of bioterrorism, Congress has taken steps to enable the development and approval of countermeasures to thwart pathogens that could be employed as weapons. Today’s approval provides an important milestone in these efforts. This new treatment affords us an additional option should smallpox ever be used as a bioweapon,” said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. “This is the first product to be awarded a Material Threat Medical Countermeasure priority review voucher. Today’s action reflects the FDA’s commitment to ensuring that the U.S. is prepared for any public health emergency with timely, safe and effective medical products.” (source)
It’s important to note that although the virus was declared eradicated in 1980 by the World Health Organization, there are at least two stores of the virus (that we know of.) One is in the US and the other is in Russia. Of course, we have no way of knowing if some kind of rogue nation or terror cell has somehow managed to acquire the virus.
One small outbreak that occurred since the last natural case happened n 1978 in Birmingham, England.
The 1978 smallpox outbreak in the United Kingdom claimed the life of Janet Parker (1938–1978), a British medical photographer, who became the last recorded person to die from smallpox. Her illness and death, which was connected to the deaths of two other people, led to an official government inquiry and triggered radical changes in how dangerous pathogens were studied in the UK. The government inquiry into Parker’s death by R.A. Shooter found that while working at the University of Birmingham Medical School, she was accidentally exposed to a strain of smallpox virus that had been grown in a research laboratory on the floor below her workplace, and that the virus had most likely spread from that laboratory through ducting. (source)
Of course, anyone who read “The Stand” by Stephen King knows how these accidents can turn into something awful. And of course, we all know that it isn’t impossible for an incident to occur as long as these viruses still exist.
The disease is truly horrifying.
Smallpox is among the world’s most feared diseases. By some estimates, the virus killed more people than every other infectious disease combined, and more than triple the number killed in every war in the 20th century.
“Smallpox was clearly the most serious infectious disease that mankind has endured over history,” says Dr. D.A. Henderson, who led the international effort that eradicated smallpox in 1977.
The virus can spread easily from one person to the next. History shows it hides in the body for about a week before erupting in a burning fever, convulsions, throbbing pain and terrible blisters all over the body.
“What is particularly disturbing to the patient, certainly, is that they’re inside of the mouth and over the tongue,” Henderson says. “So he has trouble eating, and he has trouble drinking. It’s probably the most horrible disease you can imagine.”
About a third of victims die. Many survivors are left scarred and, sometimes, blind. (source)
I wouldn’t have read quite so much into the appearance of this new drug except for a story out of Germany.
June 2018: Germany just thwarted a biological terror attack.
It was announced last month that a man who arrested in Cologne, Germany was plotting a deadly terror attack.
The 29-year-old Tunisian man arrested last week in Cologne was creating a deadly biological weapon he intended to use for a terrorist attack somewhere in the country. Where exactly is still unknown, and is one of several issues still being scrutinized by investigators.
“There were very concrete preparations for such an act using, if you will, a biological bomb,” Holger Münch, president of Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office, the BKA, told public broadcaster RBB. “This is a first in Germany.”
Various Islamist groups, Mr. Münch noted, have published instructions on the internet on how to make biological weapons from the deadly toxin ricin. “Obviously, this person was following these (instructions),” he said.
Sief Allah H., whose last name wasn’t revealed in line with German privacy laws, had already begun to produce ricin from castor seeds, according to Mr. Münch. The seeds and components required to build an explosive device were also found in his apartment. (source)
Ricin is incredibly deadly. Just a few milligrams of the powder is enough to be lethal if the substance is injected, inhaled or swallowed.
December 2017: North Korea was found to be working with Anthrax
Everyone remembers the video of the North Korean defector who risked his life to make a run for freedom across the border to South Korea in a hail of gunfire last year.
But what you may not recall is the fact that the man had high levels of anthrax antibodies in his system, which means he had to have either been exposed to or vaccinated against the deadly toxin. This sparked fears that another report was true: that North Korean researchers were trying to figure out how to send an anthrax-tipped missile to the US.
The North Korean regime has started tests with a view to loading intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) with anthrax, according to regional media reports.
Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported Tuesday that Pyongyang had undertaken heat and pressure resistance tests, citing an intelligence source in South Korea…
…the Trump administration released its National Security Strategy, which warned North Korea was “pursuing chemical and biological weapons which could also be delivered by missile.”
It read: “North Korea—a country that starves its own people—has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons that could threaten our homeland.” (source)
If the talks between President Trump and Kim Jong Un were indeed effective, perhaps this is something about which we no longer need to be concerned.
October 2017: DHS Announced Plans for a Biological Attack Drill in Oklahoma
Last October, the Department of Homeland Security announced that they were planning a drill in Oklahoma near the border of Kansas.
The first drill starts in January and continues into February of next year at two buildings within the Chilocco Indian Agricultural School (Chilocco campus) in Newkirk, Kay County, Oklahoma. The location is about 6-miles south of Arkansas City, Kansas. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology Directorate (S&T) plans to release low-levels of inert chemicals and biological stimulant materials simulating a biological attack on critical infrastructure. S&T is studying the penetration capabilities of a biological stimulant against resident buildings.
DHS’s strategical goal for the operation is to “detect and recover from biological attacks and inform and support biodefense planning, response, and restoration, particularly in consequence/risk assessment modeling of the indoor hazards posed by outdoor aerosols”. (source)
After a public outcry of the release of “harmless” chemicals, the DHS suspended the drill.
…the Department of Homeland Security suspended the plan for chemical testing at Chilocco Indian School…
…According to a published 58-page assessment of the testing, researchers would have been releasing inert chemicals into the air and measuring how much of them penetrate the buildings on site.
The department says the test would have determined how protected people would be when staying inside if biological agents are used in a terror attack.
The government insisted the chemicals were harmless. (source)
The concern seems to be growing
One thing is obvious. The concern over a biological attack seems to be increasing with reports every couple of months about threats and preparations. It begs the question, what do they know about this that we don’t?
The DHS has released information about the possibility.
A biological attack is the intentional release of a pathogen (disease causing agent) or biotoxin (poisonous substance produced by a living organism) against humans, plants, or animals. An attack against people could be used to cause illness, death, fear, societal disruption, and economic damage. An attack on agricultural plants and animals would primarily cause economic damage, loss of confidence in the food supply, and possible loss of life. It is useful to distinguish between two kinds of biological agents:
- Transmissible agents that spread from person to person (e.g., smallpox, Ebola) or animal to animal (e.g., foot and mouth disease).
- Agents that may cause adverse effects in exposed individuals but that do not make those individuals contagious to others (e.g., anthrax, botulinum toxin). (source)
In such an attack, you could be in a technology vacuum. Cell towers may be shut down to reduce the possibility of remote detonations of other devices. At least in the UK, there is a plan in place to shut down “unhelpful information” on the internet.
The important thing to remember is that in this and any other type of terror situation, you’ll be completely on your own. The things you learn ahead of time may be the only information you have available to deal with a situation. Here is a link to the fact sheet the DHS created about the potential of biological threats.
Are you concerned about the possibility of a biological attack?
Do you think a biological attack on the US is likely or possible? Do you have any preparations specific to this threat? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
I’ve often thought this could far more scary than nuclear attack. Cheap ( “poor mans nuke “), easy to deploy, hard to trace. perfect terror weapon.
Two items of interest regarding Biological attacks:
1) Shortly after the 09/11 attacks, the government was concerned about smallpox as a weapon. Part of the preparations included a study of how effective previous smallpox vaccinations still are. I was a part of that study. It consisted of getting a second smallpox vaccination on the other arm (they had to be able to see the scar from the first one), then taking blood samples. After that, we had plasma drawn about every week (I don’t recall the frequency or how long it lasted). It was nice to be one of the few with a current smallpox vaccination – almost impossible to get otherwise.
2) Three days ago, our prep group had, as a guest speaker, a missionary who was in Sierra Leone, West Africa, during the Ebola epidemic. He talked about what really happened there, why it was so difficult to contain, etc. The entire talk is available on our web site – http://volusiacountyprepping.com/july-2018-meeting/
Good post. With media coverage focused on EMPs and nuclear threats (and as always, the alleged “lone gunman” mass shootings) the possibility of biological attacks has been flying under the radar. Mutually Assured Destruction poses a decent deterrent to those first two risks. But biological agents could be deployed so discretely that it would be hard to know exactly who to blame. That’s what could make this threat so tempting to “terrorists.”
Be that as it may, I believe the most probable source of biological attack upon the American people is through virtually mandatory vaccination programs……like flu shots.
Agree, vaccines are a good way to spread disease. Small pox vacs was given in Africa years ago, spreading AIDS, ditto hep. B vacs were given to gays in NYC , Miami, etc. in the ’70’s, then AIDS surfaced in early ’80’s. If small aircraft flew low at night they could release bio weapons also. Today everyone incl. gov. would blame Islamic terrorists, etc. as a cover up for pop. reduction per agenda 2030 plan which is to reduce pop. around 70 million in the U.S. by 2025. Other countries also will follow.
There is no growing concern over biological attacks. There is no increased activity in the news. A ricin attack plot (thats a chemical attack, not a bio attack) at the same time as a smallpox medication getting approval is not I dicitive of anything. That is called confirmational bias. You are (subconsciously) looking for something, and you make what you find fit the narrative of your suspicions. It’s not overly unhealthy, but it’s not good either. You concentrate on an imaginary Boogeyman you might miss the guy breaking in the back door.
All that said, biological agents are a threat. They always have been. They are a fairly minor threat though. Though it’s far easier today to equip a lab on eBay to manufacture smallpox, it still requires significant resources and specialized expertise. Keep threats in perspective. Since the anthrax in the mail attacks, half a million Americans have died in car crashes or because we live killing each other. Everyday life is more of a threat than biological weapons. Should one prep for a bio weapons attack? That’s debateable, but general food reserves, medications, and common cleanliness items would go a long way in a bio attack, and and fundamentals of any prep. Multiple birds, one stone.
I remember reading, somewhere, 1/3 of the Earth would be “put to the sword (war), 1/3 to famine, and 1/3 pestilence (disease). The cover of the book was black, with “Holy Bible” written in gold letters. We can have preparations in place, but God’s hand of protection trumps all.
Just one more reason to live in the “boonies”.
I was in the boonies 30+ years ago. Unfortunately, “civilization” has moved out to *greet* me.
Time to pull up stakes.
Well look in merry ol’ England with just a smidgen of NERVE GAS they have to shut down entire blocks. If that is not a CLUE how deadly bio weapons are, I don’t know what is.
Discussion on another site I like to infest…
Makes me want to put my armor plated metal hat on…
https://www.wired.com/story/the-strange-and-curious-case-of-the-deadly-superbug-yeast/
From that I branched out to the CDC:
https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/candida-auris/index.html
Thence to;
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/884470?src=par_cdc_stm_mscpedt&faf=1
The observed behavior DO NOT occur with the normal disease distributions. It violates Epidemiology 101
i think that the media is the culprit in the “growing concern @ biological attacks”. but they’re just advertisers for big pharma. whenever they start squawking about some epidemic, all you have to do is follow the money. usually, in the us, that translates into “research funds” allocated in the millions of dollars. then the furor dies down but the money has been spent. this money does not go to just us agencies or medical agencies either. wish i had a link but have read about this on numerous occasions.
also, as i’ve pointed out here before, medical science is not to be trusted during a large pandemic. here’s a good example
https://www.lewrockwell.com/2009/10/bill-sardi/did-aspirin-contribute-to-flu-deaths/
there’s better articles about this but it will suffice.
since one cannot prepare for these pandemics adequately, the best advice is to stay the hell away from any shots that are being offered.
seriously
Lets say you have hunkered down inside your home or retreat because of a biological attack, pandemic, or nuclear fallout. Lets say you have enough food and water to last you months, so your good there. But if the economy has not crashed your still going to get bills and you will have to pay them. So, how do you avoid getting your mail out of the mail box? After all, you don’t know if your mail has been contaminated by the sender or the post office. You could get bills sent to you electronically through your checking account, but not all the bills you owe will come that way. I suppose you could check the mailbox while wearing medical gloves and a N95 mask. I suppose a full bio-hazard suit would be better, but, really, how many of use have actually stocked a supply of those.
If you’er like me you need daily meds. Sooner or later your going to have to go to the drug store for more meds, assuming they are open for business. Same problem there as the mail.
Anybody have a solution for these problems?
With a situation like that, in the event of a biological attack, I don’t think that the mail will be delivered amidst it all. If it is, the best option is getting your bills online and paying them there. If there is something that you KNOW is due, you could call the business and offer to pay over the phone by credit card.
As far as the meds go, it’s very important to stockpile as lengthy of a supply as possible. We have put back a year’s worth of necessary medications, and some of those could be stretched a bit further by judiciously skipping here and there. (Not that this is safe for every medication.) An understanding doctor may give you an additional prescription that can be filled in bulk, but it is doubtful insurance will cover that. It would likely be an out of pocket expense.
Interestingly, I have N95s, gloves, and protectives suits left over from the Ebola days.
I was going to say, as long as there’s internet service, you can pay through your bank, which is what I do anyway. Everything already is pretty much available online as far as bills, so you wouldn’t have to go outside.
As for meds, I’ve cut way back on my dosages so I now have about 8 months in reserve. I’m lucky in that none of my meds are “critical or absolutely life preserving” like heart, blood pressure, or diabetic meds.
Yet another headlie by Luther. Typical fodder for the brain dead, fear-mongering morons that read this crappy website. Nearly every article here is designed to instill fear. This isn’t a “prepper” website at all – it’s a fear-mongering fear factory of disinformation. Luther, Snyder and others are clueless idiots that are capitalizing upon their fear-promotion. It’s a money-making machine which is enriching its promoters. Mind fodder for fearful zombies to stupid to take charge of their own lives and learn to think for themselves, and separate the fear from fact. Disgusting.
And yet…here you are.
So, “JR,” I did a little back-tracking of your IP and discovered that every comment you’ve made on my site (Under numerous different names) is insulting, rude, and derogatory. It’s interesting to note that the FIRST comment you made included your email address and a link to your now-defunct website. If your real goal was to get information out there, you’d still be publishing on your own site or offering to write freelance on more popular sites than yours. Alas, your goal seems to be, instead, merely airing your sour views on the articles of others, along with a side of ad hominem attacks on people you don’t know.. If you wanted to help, I’d have welcomed your input.
For some reason, you’ve really got it in for my website and ALL the writers who contribute. Is it a problem for you that my site is successful and yours seems to be offline? It’s a shame because you might actually have some useful knowledge but your approach means you won’t be sharing it here. This will be your last comment on the site, as I’ve put your IP in moderation.
Hopefully, you’ll be able to get your own site up and running again so that you can share your commentary. You certainly won’t be doing it on my platform any longer.
Best wishes,
Daisy
Thank you, Daisy! I get so tired of seeing the JRs of the web world getting away with their playground bully routine. They go from one post to another like an angry 8-year old kid kicking over the sandcastles that others have built. They have nothing positive to add, and they contribute nothing constructive. You are far more lenient than I am (I have several sites). I just delete their rantings. My place – my rules. I respect my readers too much to not take out the trash. Thank you for doing the same.
Militarised anthrax is scary but has to be produced by a gov lab. The regular kind, as found in just about any field that cows have pastured in isn’t quite as good at getting airborne and into us. This may change with the advent of protein sythesisors and so on where disease can be hand crafted by the insane, but who knows. I imagine there are tons of this crap stored by various govs, and they will likely combine anthrax with other diseases to complicate diagnosis, as is the rule in bio warfare.
The new synthetic opioids are scary too. Some of them are easily carried by a breeze and are insanely powerful. The moslom that shot up Toronto recently is the brother of another moslom who dabbled in selling these synthetics, so I suppose we should expect them to be used by the mosloms for a mascas event eventually.
Another bio kept by many govs is smallpox. This shit is evil. You don’t have to militarise it, it already floats in mid air like the smallest smoke particles. When a person is infected with sp the sores break open and the spores float away into the air, to the degree that if the victim is in the lowest floor of a building and the windows are open, the spores will travel up the outside walls just like smoke from a fire and infect anyone unlucky enough to breath them in in the upper floors. This stuff is so bad that basically if you had line of sight to a sp victim with open passageways, even if separated by several rooms, you have a good chance of getting sp. It becomes a race to find all those who have been in contact with the sp victim and quarantine them before it gets going and wipes out everyone. If your immune system collapses and gives in to sp, you basically become a bag of skin containing bones and spores, compounded by a cytokine storm. Russia as I recall has tons and tons of this stuff stored for a rainy day, as do several other countries we consider adversaries.
Sunlight, ozone, oxygen, are the best natural defense layers we will rely on when shtf, good thing a lot of bad germs do not take uv, o2, or ozone well. Prayer will be requisite. The trick is to get the germs to die before they spore up and remain infective for hundreds of years, some kinds of spores can withstand open flame.
Just some of my usual cheery thoughts for you guys.
Go Daisy, Go Daisy.
I get so sick of reading rants. If you have something to ADD, state it….otherwise be quiet. (I have nothing to add, so I’ll go be quiet. LOL)