Swiss and US train aid groups against bio-terror attacks

US-flagGeneva  - The Swiss and US governments are helping train humanitarian aid groups counter the threat of a biological terrorist attacks, the Swiss government said Wednesday.

The two governments hosted a two-day training for international security forces and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on Monday and Tuesday, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in Bern said Wednesday.

Participants included the Red Cross and United Nations agencies like the World Food Programme and the World Health Organization.

The International Bioterrorism Response Coordination Exercise (Black ICE II) took place in Montreux, Switzerland - repeating a similar exercise in 2006.

"Black ICE II challenged participants with a fictional attack scenario involving pneumonic plague," the Swiss foreign department said.

"Coordinating efforts internationally across the public health, security, transportation, and law enforcement sectors poses significant challenges," the statement read.

Without fast treatment the infection from pneumonic plague is almost invariably fatal.

From the security sector, participants at Montreux included the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the Organization of the American States (OAS) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), along with experts from various countries in Africa, Asia and Europe.(dpa)