Cholera outbreaks must galvanize action against chemicals weapons proliferation

When the United Kingdom alleged that a Soviet era nerve agent—Novichok—a deadly chemical agent was used in an attempt to assassinate a former Russian double agent, there was a near unanimity in condemning this act. 

For days, the global media covered this story extensively while several countries took action against the Russian government for its involvement in the attack.

Similarly, when the half brother of the North Korea leader died as result of exposure to another nerve agent—VX—in Malaysia in February 2017, there was worldwide condemnation.

The two attacks were in staged in peacetimes and in public places hence the international outrage. Unfortunately, for many people in Zimbabwe and indeed across the continent, this was a European or an East Asian problem. 

This level of ignorance or indifference concerning these human interest matters, ironically by people who expect the same European or Asians to rush with aid when disease outbreaks devastate the continent, is simply mindboggling. 

  

Chemical and biological weapons proliferation is global challenge that should concern everyone, including Zimbabweans. There are states and non-state actors that have a whole range of chemical and biological weapons that are ready to be used during times of political upheavals hence the need to speak out.

Perhaps it will interest or frighten Zimbabweans to know that Bacillus anthracis (Anthrax) and Vibrio cholera (Cholera) are actually weapons that some countries have used as part biological warfare against enemies. 

For instance, the Apartheid regime of South Africa used anthrax and cholera as tools for its assassination program. Botulinum toxin, Brucellosis (Brucella melitensis), Clostridium perfringens and salmonella tyhimurium are some of the bio-weapons the regime had at its disposal.

This is not a conspiracy theory, there is documented evidence of this. However it is important to note that South Africa dismantled its biological weapons program in 1993, right before it became member of the community of nations. Today South Africa is global leader in the fight against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

This article is neither an attempt to link the current outbreak of cholera in Zimbabwe with biological weapons nor is this an effort to feed local conspiracy theories about the genesis of this outbreak.

I made this point (about the apartheid regime’s WMD program) to prod an indifferent population into joining other progressive countries in demanding the total abolition biological and chemical weapons.

As it stands, there are several countries that possess huge stockpiles of WMDs although they refuse to acknowledge this publicly. 

Few countries like the United States, do acknowledge possession biological agents like Anthrax and Brucella but argue these are kept for research purposes. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is a US government agency charged with protecting health and promoting quality of life through prevention and control. The CDC is tasked with maintaining these biological agents.

However, the same CDC was in the news in 2014 after it was reported that it lost a box containing deadly and highly-regulated ‘influenza specimens.’ In addition, different specimens were sent to wrong addresses over a period of six years.

Such disease specimens in the wrong hands could have deadly consequences and this is just one case of the few that get reported! So in the end, it will be difficult to entirely discount the possibility that some of the disease outbreaks we see today are a result of the proliferation of these biological agents.

Therefore to pre-empt the possibility of such attacks, countries must step up efforts to uphold the ban on biological and chemical weapons. 

Whenever these weapons are used, Zimbabwe must join the rest of world in condemning their use and coordinate with other countries taking action against the offending parties.

The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning the development, production and stockpiling of an entire category of WMDs entered into force in March 1975. Ten countries have refused to be signatories to the BWC.

Zimbabwe as a signatory to BWC, as well as one country that is regularly hit by disease outbreaks, must demand accountability from institutions such as the CDC. More must be done by way of education and awareness efforts to help reduce levels of ignorance regarding bio-weapon proliferation.

Then as more people become engaged in this anti-WMD debate, the Zimbabwean government will be forced to become proactive in this global initiative as well.