Hanta virus

Biohazard level 4. Bolivian fever, Dengue fever, ebola, Hanta virus, Lassa virus, and other various hemorrhagic diseases (mostly of African origin). When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory, and the disease is studied and patient isolated in very rigorously self-contained environments. 

Who are these new adversaries They are led by viruses such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) which causes AIDS, the hanta viruses, herpes, and the emerging viruses such as Ebola and Lassa fever. They are bacteria, such as Salmonella, Staphylococcus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, that once were easily killed by a host of antibiotics and are now resistant to most drugs we develop. They are the insect-borne diseases such as Lyme s, Dengue, and West Nile. They are the prions, a lifeform less complex than viruses that can only survive in a host and cause debilitating, and presently noncurable, madness in animals and humans. They are the insects themselves that are resistant to many organic pesticides and which continue to cause destruction of plant life. Why are these threats emerging now ... 

Seed stocks of the AG group of biological agents are readily available in the natural environment and from culture collections in the industrialized and in some developing nations. The recent outbreaks of Ebola in Africa and Hanta virus infections in Asia and North and South America are evidence of this. In addition, these organisms may be obtained from national collections (e.g., American Type Culture Collection fATCCJ and European collections). 

Anthrax Bacillus anthracis) Brucellosis Brucella species) Emerging infectious diseases like Hanta virus and Nipah virus... 

In Africa, reuse of contaminated needles and syringes and lack of appropriate barrier precautions to prevent exposure to blood and other body fluids (including vomitus, urine, and stool) have been responsible for transmission in healthcare settings (54). Most patients with VHP infections have significant viremia, and with the exception of dengue and classic Hanta viral infection, many have significant quantities of the virus in other secretions. Because most cases have been associated with exposures to multiple body fluids, the risk for any specific contact is not clear (54). 

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