Can a disease be used as a weapon?

Answer 1

Yes. For example, smallpox, a devastating disease that has been eradicated worldwide, still exists in laboratories today. This is a disease that can be used as a bioterrorist attack against other countries. Our world has experienced examples of using disease as weapons as early as the era of the Black Plague, in which corpses inflicted with the horrible plague were ruthlessly catapulted over walls to spread the infectious disease.

Answer 2

No, an effective biological weapon must rapidly produce disabling symptoms. HIV acts much too slowly, not producing any symptoms for decades after the original infection (these symptoms are called AIDS).

Also ideally an effective biological weapon should be able to be spread by air and be very robust and long lived on dry surfaces, HIV can only be spread by direct exchange of infected body fluids (e.g. blood, seminal fluid, vaginal fluid) and is a very fragile virus being destroyed in a couple hours on dry surfaces or exposure to air.

Answer 3

Yes, diseases can be used as biological weapons to intentionally harm individuals or populations. This can be achieved through the deliberate release of pathogens such as bacteria or viruses to cause illness and death. Biological warfare using diseases is a serious threat to global security and has been a concern for governments and public health organizations.