UW-Madison officials sponsored a bioterrorism symposium Tuesday to alleviate concerns in the community stemming from anthrax outbreaks across the nation.

The symposium featured campus experts in a variety of health fields explaining the details and history of bioterrorism agents and ways to protect Wisconsin from potential attacks.

Dennis Maki of the UW Medical School spoke about the effects bioterrorism has historically had on humans.

According to Maki, acts of bioterrorism have been recorded as far back as the 14th century, when the Tartars catapulted plague-infected corpses into the besieged city of Kaffa. This was possibly a source of Europe’s Black Death plague. The first acts of bioterrorism in the United States occurred in the 1760s, Maki said, when the British gave the Indians blankets infected with smallpox.

More recently, he said, in 1984 a cult spread a virus on salad bars in Oregon, causing 751 people to fall ill.

Maki said the U.S. had an active bio-warfare research facility at Ft. Detrich in Maryland from 1943-72. However, he said, the government signed an international treaty in 1972 banning this activity.

Maki said anthrax is particularly ideal for bioterrorism due to the small size of the spores. Unlike larger objects and spores in the air, anthrax spores are not filtered as effectively from the nose and respiratory tract.

“The spores are so tiny that [you could fit] fifty spores across the diameter of one human hair,” Maki said. “Although we breathe things in all the time, these spores are so tiny, they go all the way into the lungs.”

Maki illustrated the potential anthrax threat by telling a story about an incident in Russia. In 1979, a plant in Sverdlosk that mass-produced and stored anthrax by the ton accidentally leaked about 100 grams of anthrax spores into the air. Animals 30 miles downwind were killed, and over the next few days, 96 cases of anthrax exposure in humans were reported. Over the next 44 days, Maki said, 76 people died.

However, Maki said, health-care technology is improving, which can lessen the impact of anthrax. In previous years inhalation anthrax was almost always deadly, but now that is not always the case.

“Six of the 10 victims [of inhalation anthrax in recent weeks in the U.S.] have survived,” he said. “That is a tribute to modern health care.”

Maki said several countries, including Russia and Iraq, still have active bio-warfare programs. He said programs like Russia’s are the reason the U.S. has to be so concerned today.

There have been major material losses from the Russian facilities, Maki said, and many biological weapons are still unaccounted for today.

Maki said there is little reason to worry about threats of bio-warfare from these countries, however, because of fears of retaliation.

Instead, he said, bioterrorism from small groups is much more threatening.

Maki said if smallpox were to be introduced in mass amounts to the United States, it could potentially spread rapidly and affect most of the world.

“I’d like to believe that anyone [who possesses the smallpox agent] realizes that it could make the Black Plague of the 1400s or AIDS look like child’s play,” Maki said.

Chris Olsen of the UW School of Veterinary Medicine addressed agricultural bioterrorism concerns and the possible ramifications for Wisconsin if livestock were contaminated with biological agents.

Olsen said by using agricultural bioterrorism, terrorists could decrease the food supply, create skepticism about food safety, disrupt international trade and the national economy and incite distrust and anger at the government.

“This is a very legitimate concern,” Olsen said.

Olsen said because over eight billion chickens and 290 million turkeys were raised in the United States last year and that over 36 million cows and over 98 million pigs went to meat production, agriculture could be a prime terrorist target.

Olsen said one of the most important preventative components is communication. He said communication efforts need to involve farmers, agricultural officials, veterinarians, public health officials, practicing physicians, intelligence personnel, emergency response and law-enforcement officials.

Finally, state epidemiologist Jeff Davis, M.D., spoke about the five focus areas of the state’s new Public Health Preparedness and Response to Bioterrorism program.

Davis said it is important to make sure information is shared on all levels in order to recognize and control bioterrorism attacks.

Davis also said communication is needed to keep the public from unnecessary panic.

“Fear is a predicating factor,” he said. “It is important for us to recognize that and learn to manage that fear.”