What You Should Know About Biological Warfare (1951)

[Music] as a nation we are just the people who produces where they live in event of War made attempt to destroy or disable our people and our production by striking directly at the civilian population denied the products of our farms and factories we could not wage war on any front we can be attacked in spite of our excellent defenses attacks may be made in many ways with bombs or with biological weapons this might might be one form of biological warfare does but you may have heard there's a new poison 1 ounce can kill all the people in the United States germ warfare can wipe out an entire city nothing could be further from the truth biological warfare what do they expect me to do about it it's not my headache you wrong you had better find out the facts about biological warfare or BW it can be aimed at you and your home or at work at your food crops your livestock biological weapons can be divided into three groups germs toxins and plant growth Regulators some germs cause chalera others cause typhoid fever plague and such diseases toxins are special poisons produced by other germs they do the harm in diseases like food poisoning and deia special plant growth Regulators can destroy food crops just as weed killer can destroy weeds the public health nurse and the many other members of our Public Health System have been fighting Nature's biological attacks for years we have proved that our health and medical systems check the spread of infectious diseases our livestock and crops are guarded by a nationwide network of federal state and local agencies and experts government regulations assure the purity of many food products but BW attacks can be made in spite of our health safety systems aerosols containing disease germs could be used these aerosols could be spread over large areas sub Marines could release aerosols near coastal cities specially designed germ carrying bombs could be dropped enemy agents could contaminate the city water supply how can we protect ourselves from BW attacks keep yourself and your family clean don't help germs by making things easy for them germs have trouble living in clean places enroll in a Red Cross home nursing courts then if sickness does come to you you'll know what to do always report sickness promptly and Doctor Mary's temperature is over [Music] 100 good morning here's the news civil defense headquarters announced today that the sharp increase in the number of cases of illness during the last few days have led authorities to suspect that a biological warfare attack may have taken place as yet the cause of this outbreak has not been identified civil defense Health authorities recommend that you should take the following precautions if such an announcement is made in your city don't give way to fear just remember that scientists would already be working to control the [Music] outbreak probably some of the people in your neighborhood would become sick reports of the disease would start pouring into health and medical authorities the number and location of cases would be plotted on a map of the area scientists would go to work immediately to identify the cause of the disease meanwhile the outbreak would take on a definite pattern there are important things you can do in your home if you are told a biological warfare attack has taken place be careful what you eat and drink canned and bottled goods are safe but scrub them before opening package Foods in cupboards and refrigerators are probably not contaminated boil or cook all exposed food before eating water used for drinking or washing after an attack must be boiled wash all contaminated garments thoroughly to remove germs or toxins if your doctor recommends sending a member of your family to the hospital cooperate [Music] local health and medical authorities would distribute instructions so that the outbreak of the disease could be controlled follow instructions closely if you are called upon for a blood sample don't hesitate blood samples would be extremely important in helping the scientists identify the germs or [Music] poisons authorities would identify the cause of the disease as soon as possible possible the recovery of those already sick would be speeded up with the use of modern drugs Mass inoculations might be necessary to keep the disease from spreading this would require the cooperation of [Music] everyone remember BW attacks food crops livestock and people our health and medical systems are the foundations of our defense against biological warfare our food supply is guarded by a nationwide network of federal state and local agencies and experts if we are attacked with biological warfare health and medical authorities will tell you what to do so that the disease could be brought under control cooperate with the authorities above all don't listen to scare talk rumors or myths get a copy of this official booklet at the first opportunity read it and remember it do your part and we can successfully combat biological warfare [Music]