Biological agents protection

National Research Council, Sensor Systems for Biological Agent Attacks Protecting Buildings and Military Bases, Washington, D.C. The National Academies Press, 2005. 

Thus there are two separate and distinct missions of any system designed to detect both chemical and biological weapons, namely Detect to Warn and Detect to Treat. The presence of a chemical agent must be detected immediately in order to warn troops to put on protective gear. Biological agents must be detected and identified promptly in order to minimize the number of exposed troops however, immediate death or incapacitation is not likely. Instead, early detection allows early treatment and lower mortality rates. 

The materials for uniforms and equipment will need to provide protection from chemical and biological agents (and perhaps detect them as well), be lightweight, and provide climate control to maintain performance in extreme environments. New medicines—antivirals, antibiotics, and antifungals—will be needed to maintain the health of troops deployed in such locations. In urban areas, advanced materials are needed for robots that can enter buildings before soldiers. 

Interim Recommendations for the Selection and Use of Protective Clothing and Respirators Against Biological Agents (provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC))... 

Medical Classification, Probable Form of Dissemination, Detection in the Field, Infective Dose, Incubation Time, Persistence, Personal Protection, Routes of Entry to the Body, Per-son-to-Person Transmissible, Duration of Illness, Potential Ability to Kill, Defensive Measures, Vaccines, Drugs Available, and Decontamination. In each case, for both Chemical and Biological agents, each agent will have guidelines laid out within the book. 

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