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Terrorism is defined as use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to indulge fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, social or religious. Bioterrorism is terrorism by intentional release or dissemination of biological agents, mainly bacteria or viruses. Use of biological weapons is attractive from the terrorists' point of view because of low production costs, major range and easiness of transmission. The first mention of the use of primitive biological weapons date back to the 6th century. Use of plague-infested corpses as offensive means in the 14th century caused a spread of bubonic plague through the whole Europe. The biggest development of biological weapons took place in the interwar period and in the cold war era. Biological weapon trails and research were conducted by super powers such as USSR, UK, USA and Japan. At the beginning of the 20th century a new form of bioterrorism occurred, which put humanity in the face of a terrifying threat. Cholera is a deadly disease that has caused a worldwide phenomenon throughout history. Its imperative weapon, the Vibrio cholerae bacterium, has allowed cholera to seize control and wipe out a huge percentage of the human population. V. cholerae's toxins are the primary causes of cholera's lethal symptoms. The bacterium contains toxins that help it accomplish its job of invading the human system and defeating the body's powerful immune system. With its sibling bacterium Escherichia coli, V. cholerae has become one of the most dominant pathogens in the known world. V. cholerae's strategies in causing the infamous deadly diarrhea have been widely studied, from the irritation of the intestinal epithelium to the stimulation of capillary leakage, as well as the internal effects of the disease such as the Peyer's patches on the intestinal walls. Overall, the Vibrio cholera bacterium has made cholera a tough disease to overcome, and because of its deadly virulence factors, cholera has become one of the most frightening diseases a human body could ever encounter. Vibrio cholerae is a Gram-negative, comma-shaped bacterium. Some strains of V. cholerae cause the disease cholera. V. cholerae is facultatively anaerobic and has a flagellum at one cell pole. V. cholerae was first isolated as the cause of cholera by Italian anatomist Filippo Pacini in 1854, but his discovery was not widely known until Robert Koch, working independently 30 years later, publicized the knowledge and the means of fighting the disease. V. cholerae pathogenicity genes code for proteins directly or indirectly involved in the virulence of the bacteria. During infection, V. cholerae secretes cholera toxin, a protein that causes profuse, watery diarrhea. Colonization of the small intestine also requires the toxin coregulated pilus (TCP), a thin, flexible, filamentous appendage on the surface of bacterial cells.

Lebanon is a country that has always been tangled with the ever looming threat of a growing health crisis. With a failing government and massive influx of refugees, mostly the victim of their war torn economy, it seemed inevitable that sanitation procedures would run short. Now the Lebanese people and government face the challenge of the spread of Cholera, a water-borne disease, within the countries vicinity as a result of mass pollution from the formation of informal settlements as well as the country being a hotbed for political instability. These have resulted in limited success in controlling the outbreak engulfing the millions of refugees and general populace. While external powers such as the WHO have extended a hand in providing medical as well as financial assistance in counter reacting to the growing disease, an absolute solution to the problem has been largely stunted due to several socio-economic factors that have unfolded over the years as well as the rate of garbage disposal. However, as mentioned in my report I give one valid method of controlling the problem from spiralling out of control. This report will help in giving an easy insight into the current Public Health situation and ways in which it is/can be countered.

Intro -- Acknowledgements -- Preface -- Introduction -- Chapter 1 An Ancient Disease:The history and epidemiology of cholera -- Chapter 2 Brandy is the Cure:The 1831-2 cholera outb -- Chapter 3 The Wretched State of the Poor:The influence of politics and philosophy on the living and sanitaryconditions of the poor -- Chapter 4 Cholera and Tooting's Pauper Paradise:Workhouse conditions and how cholera devastated a children'sinstitution -- Chapter 5 Births, Marriages and Deaths:The General Register Office and the work of William Farr -- Chapter 6 The Graveyards Overflow:The effect of population growth and cholera on traditionalburial practices -- Chapter 7 Dr John Snow and the Broad Street Pump:The emerging theory that cholera is a waterborne disease and themodern myth of Dr John Sn -- Chapter 8 The Stink of Cholera:The improvement of London's sewage system andSir Joseph Bazalgette -- Chapter 9 Cholera Returns:The 1866 East End cholera outbreak and the Princess Alicedisaster -- Chapter 10 A Modern Disease:Genetics, vaccines and new theories -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index.