NOVA Online | Bioterror | Global Guide to Bioweapons (non-Flash)

Global Guide to Bioweapons

Click on the map or use the country links below to see each country's bioweapons program status.

World map

Bioweapons status: Known to be actively researching biological agents but not known to have successfully weaponized germs

Possible agents: Unknown

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Canada

Signatory state to the Biological Weapons Convention

Bioweapons status: Former program terminated and stockpile destroyed (1970s)

Agents (former): Anthrax, rinderpest, botulinum toxin, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, plague, tularemia, ricin

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China

Signatory state to the Biological Weapons Convention

Bioweapons status: Believed to secretly possess offensive bioweapons program

Possible agents: Unknown

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Egypt

Bioweapons status: Known to be actively researching biological agents for offensive and defensive programs

Possible Agents: Anthrax, botulinum toxin, plague, cholera, tularemia, glanders, brucellosis, melioidosis, psittacosis, Q fever, Japanese B encephalitis, Eastern equine encephalitis, influenza, smallpox, mycotoxins

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France

Signatory state to the Biological Weapons Convention

Bioweapons status: Former program terminated and stockpile destroyed (1980s)

Agents (former): Potato beetle, rinderpest, others unknown

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Germany

Signatory state to the Biological Weapons Convention

Bioweapons status: Former program terminated and stockpile destroyed (1970s)

Agents (former): Plague, cholera, yellow fever, typhus, foot-and-mouth disease, glanders, potato beetle, wheat fungus

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India

Signatory state to the Biological Weapons Convention

Bioweapons status: Known to be actively conducting biological weapons defense research

Possible agents: Unknown

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Iran

Bioweapons status: Known to be actively researching and possibly producing offensive biological weapons

Possible agents: Unknown

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Iraq

Signatory state to the Biological Weapons Convention

Bioweapons status: Previously actively researching and producing biological weapons. Highly likely to be continuing bioweapons program today.

Possible agents: Anthrax, botulinum toxin, gas gangrene, aflatoxin, trichothecene, mycotoxins, wheat cover smut, ricin, hemorrhagic conjunctivitis virus, rotavirus, camel pox

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Israel

Bioweapons status: Known to be conducting offensive bioweapons research but no evidence so far of successful bioweapons production

Possible agents: Unknown

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Japan

Signatory state to the Biological Weapons Convention

Bioweapons status: Former program terminated and stockpile destroyed (1970s)

Agents(former): Anthrax, tularemia, plague, botulinum toxin, smallpox, glanders, typhoid, typhus

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Libya

Signatory state to the Biological Weapons Convention

Bioweapons status: Known to be conducting research towards offensive bioweapons

Possible agents: Unknown

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North Korea

Signatory state to the Biological Weapons Convention

Bioweapons status: Known to be researching biological agents for offensive use

Possible agents: Anthrax, cholera, plague, smallpox, botulinum toxin, hemorrhagic fever, typhoid, yellow fever

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Pakistan

Signatory state to the Biological Weapons Convention

Bioweapons status: Probable research and development of bioweapons

Possible agents: Unknown

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Russia

Signatory state to the Biological Weapons Convention

Bioweapons status: Conducting defensive bioweapons research, possibly working beyond legitimate defense activities to offensive activities

Possible agents: Anthrax, tularemia, brucellosis, plague, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, typhus, Q fever, botulinum toxin, smallpox, glanders, Marburg infection, Ebola, Machupo virus, Argentinian hemorrhagic fever, yellow fever, Lassa fever, Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis, Japanese encephalitis, Russian spring-summer encephalitis, psittacosis, rinderpest, African swine fever virus, wheat stem rust, rice blast

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South Africa

Signatory state to the Biological Weapons Convention

Bioweapons status: Former program terminated and stockpile destroyed (1970s)

Agents (former): Anthrax, cholera, botulinum toxin

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Syria

Bioweapons status: Highly likely to be developing offensive bioweapons

Possible agents: Anthrax, botulinum toxin

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Taiwan

Signatory state to the Biological Weapons Convention

Bioweapons status: Possible bioweapons research program

Possible agents: Unknown

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U.K.

Signatory state to the Biological Weapons Convention

Bioweapons status: Former program terminated and stockpile destoyed (1970s)

Agents (former): Anthrax

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U.S.

Signatory state to the Biological Weapons Convention

Bioweapons status: Extensive defensive research program

Possible agents (former): Anthrax, brucellosis, botulinum toxin, Eastern and Western equine encephalitis, Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis, Argentinian hemorrhagic fever, Korean hemorrhagic fever, Bolivian hemorrhagic fever, tularemia, Q fever, Lassa fever, glanders, melioidosis, plague, yellow fever, psittacosis, dengue fever, Rift Valley fever, Chikungunya disease virus, ricin, rice blast, rice brown spot disease, late blight of potato, stem rust of cereal, rinderpest virus, Newcastle disease virus, fowl plague virus

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