User:Maswitz/sandbox

Scenario
The scenario assumes that the viral ingredients were (* was *) obtained from a bioweapons facility in Russia, formerly controlled by the Soviet Union. The terrorist group responsible used publicly available knowledge as well as training in US and Indian universities in order to create the strain of smallpox. To spread the virus, members walked around public areas with canisters releasing the virus in high traffic areas.

Considerations
(* The *) Initial problems (* I think “issues” would flow better *) facing the participants were (* was *) whether to use ring vaccination strategy (* insert comma “,” *) over mass vaccination strategy (* insert comma “,” *) in order to deal with the small number of those thought to be infected with the smallpox virus. While ring vaccination is recommended for initial control over an outbreak, states may quickly choose to switch to mass vaccination if it is unsuccessful. In addition, the participants for countries with no infected persons faced pressures to share available vaccine resources with countries currently experiencing (* it appears that an article is missing before the word “outbreak”. Consider adding “an” *) outbreak. As more countries began to experience (* it appears that an article is missing before the word “outbreak”. consider adding “an” or “the” before *) outbreak, participants were forced by domestic pressures to withhold the sharing of vaccines with other countries in order to preserve their supply for their own citizens. Other vaccine distribution strategies (* insert comma “,” *) such as the usage of vaccine dilution (* insert comma “,” *) soon became necessary as the amount of those suspected to be infected steadily grew. Participants also considered the viability of closing borders to prevent the further spread of the outbreak to their own countries. Certain, (* eliminate the comma *) dire (* use another word such as “extreme” *) measures (* insert comma “,” *) such as (* it appears that an article is missing before the word “use”. Consider adding “the” *) use of (* the noun phrase “military” seems to be missing a determiner before it. Consider adding “the” *) military to enforce quarantines (* insert comma “,” *) were considered as participants also had the obligation to ensure public safety in civilian populations.

Findings
Conclusions from the exercise's published documents:


 * "Preparation will matter"
 * "Increased knowledge and awareness are essential"
 * "Homeland security must look abroad"
 * "The World Health Organization’s authority must be aligned with expectations"
 * "Effective communication between nations and with the public is critical"
 * "Adequate medical countermeasures must be developed"
 * "Biosecurity is one of the great global security challenges of the 21st century"

At the end of the exercise, participants were given an opportunity to share valuable insights gained during the scenario. (* The *) Lack of current international strategy and planning represented (* insert “shows” or “presents” *) a shortfall in (* reword to something like “the protection against bioterrorism attacks” for more clarity *) bioterrorism protection. In addition, members with defense backgrounds warned against the widespread unawareness bioterrorism presented to safety at home and abroad. They believed (* “that” *) states without adequate protection pose a dangerous threat to neighboring states with plentiful (* remove “plentiful” and use “abundant” *) resources and (* “a solid” *) infrastructure.

Recommendations
Atlantic Storm highlights the importance of international communication and coordination in responding to a bioterrorist attack. Participants of the exercise indicated that the (* spell out acronym *) WHO would be the ideal entity to coordinate an international response. In addition, Atlantic Storm proved that most countries lack the structure and resources to handle such an outbreak. Therefore, the establishment of more resources and infrastructure is a necessity for the success of a (* the indefinite article, “a”, may be redundant when used with the uncountable noun “response” in your sentence. Consider removing it or revision of the second half of this sentence *) future response. Next, coalition entities such as the EU (* spell out acronym *) and NATO (* spell out acronym *) should further develop plans of action for bioterror incidents. Strong international coalitions would ensure that response time in an epidemic is not slowed by complications between neighboring countries. Additionally, many politicians are unaware of the threat of bioterrorism and require more information regarding the (* it appears that “the” is unnecessary in this context, I would recommend removing it *) safety and defense implications. Inclusion of knowledgeable defense authorities and scientists would give politicians the capability to form a response. Finally, the international community should do more, as a whole, to bolster developing countries' resources designated for defending against epidemics in order to better defend themselves.

Other Bioterrorism Response Exercises
Below are further exercises by other organizations with similar scenarios:


 * Eurasia Counterterrorism Conference on International Cooperation to Combat Bioterrorism - December 2004
 * Interpol Global Conference on Preventing Bioterrorism - March 2005
 * Black ICE - September 2005

Criticisms & Weaknesses
Some observers of the exercise raised concerns with the exercise and (* remove “with the exercise” and insert “about” for better clarity *) how it was conducted. At the time of the exercise, the World Health Organization, whom participants indicated to be the ideal response coordinator, lacked the resources and staffing to handle the effort. Finally, leaders in today's world need to possess experience in homeland security and bioterrorist threats in order to handle a situation similar to the scenario proposed in Atlantic Storm.The (* add a space between the period and the beginning of this sentence *) credentials of some participating members were questioned due to a lack of experience in these fields.

The rates of infection transmission used by the Atlantic storm exercise were (* was *) higher than historical records of smallpox transmission. As a result, most otherwise appropriate measures would still fail in the hypothetical scenario. This raises (* “some” *) concerns with the accuracy of the (* revise to something like “conclusions made by Atlantic Storm, and similar exercises” *) exercise's conclusions and its application to a real world scenario. In addition, some defense research questions the ability of terrorists to create and distribute such a virus.