ABSTRACT
Both governmental and nongovernmental perpetrators focused on the possibility of bioterrorism, since the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. This concern typically has been raised about two bacteria, Bacillus anthracis and Yersinia pestis, the agents of anthrax and plague, respectively, and variola virus, the cause of smallpox. This chapter discusses the key factors to be considered in establishing the likelihood of Ebola virus being used in an intentional attack, as well as the potential attack scenarios and the impact on the health care system. Each of the potential agents of biological attack and bioterrorism would pose important challenges to the health care system. The illness caused by Ebola virus even in its most severe form shares many features with other infections that would be more likely outside of an outbreak setting and in a region not known to have Ebola virus disease (EVD).
