The threat of Monkeypox virus: a review of its potential use as a biological weapon

The intentional use of highly pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses or their toxins, to spread mass-scale diseases that destabilize populations (with religious motivations, ideological belief, monetary implications or political decisions) is defined as bioterrorism. Although the success of a bioterrorist attack is not realistically feasible due to technical limitations, it is not unlikely and the threat of such an attack is more current than ever. It is now a fact that the ability to create panic has enticed terrorists to use biological agents (BA) to provoke terrorist attacks. In the era of biotechnology and nanotechnology, accessibility in terms of price and availability has spread rapidly, with the production and use of new sophisticated BAs. In addition, some BAs are becoming increasingly important, such as toxins produced by bacteria and plants, and genetic engineering of pathogenic viruses. As a result of the recent CoViD-19 pandemic, efforts are currently being made to intervene more and more preventively in global health in order to prevent new pandemics in time. As of 2022, there has been an exacerbation of the number of human Monkeypox Virus (hMPXV) cases globally, derived from Monkeypox Virus. As the latter is closely related to the Smallpox Virus, the international concern of its propagation and possible use as a biological weapon (BW) is clear. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the feasibility of using hMPXV as a BW by evaluating possible scenarios and how First and Second Responders could intervene to heal an emergency of this level on a global scale.