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26th Sep Current Affairs News Analysis | Prelims & Mains 2020

Pinaka Rocket System
HEADLINES:
Pinaka Rocket System
WHY IN NEWS:
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) recently handed over the Authority Holding Sealed Particulars (AHSP) of the system to the Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) of the Ministry of Defence.
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3:Defence
ISSUE:
PINAKA
Pinaka is a multiple rocket launcher produced in India.
SOURCES : WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
DEVELOPERS
- It is developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Army.
FEATURES
- The system has a maximum range of 40 km for Mark-I and 75 km for Mark-II.
- It can fire a salvo of 12 rockets in 44 seconds.
- The system is mounted on a Tatra truck for mobility.
- Pinaka saw service during the Kargil War.
- It has since been inducted into the Indian Army in large numbers.
- As of 2019, an upgraded guided missile version of the system has been test-fired, with a range of over 90 km
EACH PINAKA CONSISTS OF
- Six launcher vehicles, each with 12 rockets.
- Six loader-replenishment vehicles
- A battery of six launchers can neutralise an area of 1,000 m × 800 m.
IASbhai WINDUP:
- The Army generally deploys a battery that has a total of 72 rockets.
- All of the 72 rockets can be fired in 44 seconds.
SOURCES:THE HINDU & PIB | 26th Sep Current Affairs News Analysis
Scrub Typhus
HEADLINES:
Scrub Typhus
WHY IN NEWS:
An outbreak of Scrub Typhus (also known as Bush Typhus), a bacterial disease, has caused 5 deaths and 600 infections in Nagaland’s Noklak district bordering Myanmar.
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3: Diseases
ISSUE:
SCRUB TYPHUS
CAUSE
- Scrub typhus is spread to people through bites of infected chiggers (larval mites).
OCCURENCE
- Most cases of scrub typhus occur in rural areas of Southeast Asia, Indonesia, China, Japan, India, and northern Australia.
- Anyone living in or traveling to areas where scrub typhus is found could get infected.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
- Symptoms of scrub typhus usually begin within 10 days of being bitten.
Signs and symptoms may include:
Site of chigger bite. Sources : CDS.GOV
- Fever and chills
- Headache
- Body aches and muscle pain
- A dark, scab-like region at the site of the chigger bite (also known as eschar)
- Mental changes, ranging from confusion to coma
- Enlarged lymph nodes
- Rash
TREATMENT
- Doxycycline can be used in persons of any age.
- Antibiotics are most effective if given soon after symptoms begin.
- People who are treated early with doxycycline usually recover quickly.
PREVENTION
Adult and larval chiggers (mites) on the head of a pin . (SOURCES : CDS.GOV)
- No vaccine is available to prevent scrub typhus.
- Reduce your risk of getting scrub typhus by avoiding contact with infected chiggers.
IASbhai WINDUP:
So when traveling to areas where scrub typhus is common, avoid areas with lots of vegetation and brush where chiggers may be found.
SOURCES:THE HINDU & PIB | 26th Sep Current Affairs News Analysis
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