The weaponisation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been a new element in twenty-first century warfare where ‘biowarfare’ is no exception. Active research has been taking place on the Internet of Things (IoT) domain which finds a wide range of applications in biology. Digitalisation and artificial intelligence have a significant impact on the functioning of microbiology laboratories.

In July 2019 Dr. Xiangguo Qiu, an outstanding Chinese scientist, her colleague and husband Keding Cheng, and an unknown number of her students from China were removed from Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) said that it advised the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) about “possible policy breaches.” Qiu was also a part of the team that developed ZMapp, an experimental treatment for Ebola used during the 2014 outbreak in West Africa.

Though not considered as effective bioterror agent as either botulinum toxin or anthrax, Ricin is notorious for its perceived potential. This fresh perspective is an effort to analyze the facts related to Ricin, with reference to its newfound therapeutic applications. This big picture should be helpful in understanding the threat in Indian context!

Yersinia pestis can cause any of three diseases – bubonic plague, pneumonic plague, and Septicemic plague. Bubonic and pneumonic plagues have in the past been weaponized by Japan and USSR. This article analyses whether terrorist groups will emulate these national biological warfare programs and thus will seek to develop weapons armed with Y. pestis.

In the post globalisation era, countries around the globe have teamed up to cooperate on various issues which include issues related to environment security to maritime security. However there have been very very few steps develop global health security. Most of the national support to this issue is limited only to contributing miniscule amount of money to WHO by developed and developing countries and handling it as a part counter-insurgency strategy. As a result, health security has been limited to a national issue.