What are the essential & desirable viral characteristics for making it a BWA.

To qualify as a Biological Warfare Agent (BWA), a virus must possess specific characteristics that make it suitable for use as a weapon. These characteristics can be classified into essential and desirable traits:

Essential Characteristics:

1. High Infectivity: A BWA virus must have a high degree of infectivity, allowing it to efficiently infect and replicate within host cells. This ensures rapid dissemination of the virus within the target population, leading to widespread disease transmission.

2. High Virulence: Virulence refers to the severity of the disease caused by the virus. A BWA virus should exhibit high virulence, capable of causing severe illness or death in infected individuals. This enhances the effectiveness of the weapon by maximizing its impact on the targeted population.

3. Stability: The virus should be stable under various environmental conditions, including temperature, humidity, and pH. Stability ensures that the virus remains viable during storage, transportation, and dissemination, maintaining its potency as a weapon.

Desirable Characteristics:

1. Aerosol Transmission: Aerosol transmission enables the virus to be disseminated as fine particles or droplets in the air, facilitating rapid and efficient infection of individuals through inhalation. Aerosolized viruses have the potential to cause large-scale outbreaks and are particularly effective in biological warfare scenarios.

2. Stealthy Transmission: Stealthy transmission refers to the ability of the virus to evade detection by the host immune system or diagnostic assays, allowing it to spread silently within the population before causing symptomatic illness. This trait enhances the virus's effectiveness as a covert biological weapon.

3. Lack of Available Treatment or Vaccination: Ideally, a BWA virus should target a population with limited or no immunity and for which there are no effective treatments or vaccines available. This maximizes the impact of the virus and complicates response efforts, increasing the likelihood of successful deployment and dissemination.

By possessing these essential and desirable characteristics, a virus can be considered a potent Biological Warfare Agent, capable of causing widespread illness, panic, and disruption in targeted populations. It is essential for defense and public health agencies to closely monitor emerging viral threats and develop strategies to counteract the potential use of viruses as weapons of bioterrorism.