Bioterrorism, Public Health, and International Law

In this article, I contemplate the potential impact of the anthrax attacks on various areas of international law that affect public health-namely, the international law on the use of force, arms control, terrorism, global infectious disease control, human rights, trade in goods, and the protection of intellectual property rights. In addition, I make observations about how the recent bioterrorism may affect the direction and content of global public health efforts. In the end, my analysis generates more questions than answers, but the potential impact of the bioterrorist attacks on international law and global public health is so serious that even preliminary consideration of the matter is warranted.