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Current Affairs News Analysis for UPSC | 12th Dec 2020
Plasmodium ovale
HEADLINES:
Plasmodium ovale and other types of malaria
WHY IN NEWS:
The soldier in Kerala is believed to have contracted Plasmodium ovale during his posting in Sudan, from where he returned nearly a year ago, and where Plasmodium ovale is endemic.
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3:Health:Diseases
ISSUE:
PLASMODIUM OVALE
TYPES OF MALARIA
There are five kinds of malarial parasites —
- Plasmodium falciparum
- Plasmodium vivax (the commonest ones)
- Plasmodium malariae
- Plasmodium ovale
- Plasmodium knowlesi.
- In India, out of 1.57 lakh malaria cases in the high-burden states of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Meghalaya in 2019, 1.1 lakh cases (70%) were cases of falciparum malaria.
- In 2018, the National Vector-borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) estimated that approximately 63% suffered from Plasmodium falciparum.
- The recent World Malaria Report 2020 said cases in India dropped from about 20 million in 2000 to about 5.6 million in 2019.
PLASMODIUM OVALE
- P ovale rarely causes severe illness.
- P ovale is very similar to P vivax, which is not a killer form.
- P ovale is no more dangerous than getting a viral infection.
- It is termed ovale as about 20% of the parasitised cells are oval in shape. Distinguishing between P vivax and P ovale may be tricky.
CASES IN INDIA
- Previously, too, isolated cases were reported in Gujarat, Kolkata, Odisha and Delhi.
AFRICA AND ELSEWHERE
- P ovale malaria is endemic to tropical Western Africa.
- It has also been detected in the Philippines, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, but is still relatively rate in these areas.
IASbhai WINDUP:
- It is possible for the parasite to remain in the spleen or liver of the body for a long time, even years, after the mosquito bite, and the person could become symptomatic later.
SOURCES: IE | Current Affairs News Analysis for UPSC | 12th Dec 2020
International Bharathi Festival 2020
HEADLINES:
PM addresses International Bharathi Festival 2020
WHY IN NEWS:
Government’s women led empowerment policies are tribute to the vision of Subramanya Bharathi: PM
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 1 : Literature : Poetry
ISSUE:
SUBRAMANYA BHARATHI
- Popularly known as “Mahakavi Bharathi” (“Great Poet Bharathi”), he was a pioneer of modern Tamil poetry.
- He is also considered one of the greatest Tamil literary figures of all time.
- His numerous works included fiery songs kindling patriotism during the Indian Independence movement.
- He was also in solidarity with Dalits and Muslims.
IASbhai WINDUP:
- Bharathi’s influence on Tamil literature is phenomenal. Although it is said that he was proficient in around 14, including 3 non-Indian foreign languages
- Bharathiyar teaches us to remain united and committed to the empowerment of every single individual, especially, the poor and marginalised.
SOURCES: THE HINDU | Current Affairs News Analysis for UPSC | 12th Dec 2020
Not all Indian droughts are caused by El Nino
HEADLINES:
Not all Indian droughts are caused by El Nino
WHY IN NEWS:
- Bengaluru scientists point to ‘curving waves’ from the Atlantic region that may be drying up the monsoons
- The study also appears in journal Science
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 1 : Geography : El Nino
ISSUE:
- The study was led by researchers at the Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (CAOS), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.
- Many lakes nearby Bengaluru have gone dry due to persistent drought conditions last year.
EL NINO AND DROUGHTS IN INDIA
- Droughts in India have historically been associated with El Nino, an anomalous warming of the equatorial Pacific.
- The IISc study shows that in non-El Nino years, these droughts are a consequence of a sudden and steep drop in rainfall in late August.
DECLINE IN RAINFALL
- In an El Nino year, the rainfall deficit departure from a long-term average will set in early around mid-June and progressively worsen.
- From mid-July to mid-August, usually the rainiest period of the monsoon, the monsoon will appear to recover.
- Around August third week, there was a sudden steep decline in rainfall, resulting in drought conditions.
ROSSBY WAVE
- It seems that winds in the upper atmosphere are interacting with a deep cyclonic circulation above the abnormally cold North Atlantic waters.
- Rossby wave is curved down from the North Atlantic squeezed in by the Tibetan plateau and hit the subcontinent around mid-August.
- The impact of Rossby waves suppresses rainfall and throwing off the monsoon that was trying to recover from the June slump.
- The wave’s usual course is to go from west to east, but not towards the equator.
IASbhai WINDUP:
- In 2014, India saw a 14% rainfall deficit — or a drought — that wasn’t linked to El Nino and before that in 1986 and 1985.
- The sheer size of the Pacific means that it influences global climate much more than the Atlantic or other oceans.
SOURCES: THE HINDU | Current Affairs News Analysis for UPSC | 12th Dec 2020
Wildlife trade increased by 2,000% since 1980
HEADLINES:
Worldwide legal wildlife trade increased by 2,000% since 1980
WHY IN NEWS:
It was reported by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services .
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3: Conservation of Biodiversity
ISSUE:
- The report has been prepared by the by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).
- IPBES is an intergovernmental organisation established to improve the interface between science and policy on issues of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
KEYPOINTS
- It is not just the illegal trade in wildlife that has been denuding populations worldwide.
- The international legal wildlife trade has increased 500 per cent in value since 2005 and 2,000 per cent since the 1980s.
- On the other hand, the estimated value of the global illegal trade in wildlife is worth around $7-23 billion per year.
- It is equivalent to nearly 25 per cent of the value of the legal market.
CONSUMPTION PATTERNS
- The report found that wildlife consumption patterns varied markedly among countries.
- Countries in South America, Africa, Southeast Asia and Oceania tended to be net suppliers.
- The US was one of the largest legal importers of wildlife globally, with 10-20 million individual wild animals imported each year, largely for the pet trade.
IASbhai WINDUP:
- There are significant gaps in laws governing wildlife trade.
- Suggestions such as sanitation measures in wildlife markets might help, but did not address the root cause of the problem.
- Transformative change would involve bolder policy prescriptions than those contained in the report.
SOURCES: DownToEarth | Current Affairs News Analysis for UPSC | 12th Dec 2020
Digital Voter ID card
HEADLINES:
Voter card in your phone? Here’s what Election Commission wants to do
WHY IN NEWS:
Digital Voter ID card: Currently, the Elector’s Photo Identity Card (EPIC) is only available in hard copy, and has to be produced in the original by the voter on election day. What is the proposal being considered by the poll panel?
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 2 : Polity : Digital Voting Card
ISSUE:
FORMALITIES FOR DIGITAL VOTER IDENTITY CARD
- To avail this facility, an eligible voter will have to provide her mobile number or email address to the EC machinery at the time of applying for enrolment in the voters’ list.
- Once her name is included in the electoral roll, she will be intimated through an SMS or email.
- Existing voters may have to reverify their details with the EC (similar to the Bank KYC process) and provide their email or mobile phone number to get their cards in the electronic form.
WHAT WOULD THE DIGITAL VOTER CARD LOOK LIKE?
- The digital voter card is not expected to look too different from its physical form.
- The soft copy may also have a QR code that will carry the voter’s enrolment details such as name and date of birth and address.
WHY IS THE COMMISSION CONSIDERING SUCH A PROPOSAL?
- The EC feels that voters too, will find it useful to have the PDF file of her voter card on her phone.
- This will do away with the necessity of first producing a voter’s slip on the day of voting.
IASbhai WINDUP:
WHEN IS THE EC EXPECTED TO INTRODUCE THE DIGITAL VOTER CARDS?
- This is still just a proposal, and needs to be approved by the full Commission — that is, by Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and Election Commissioners Sushil Chandra and Rajiv Kumar.
- According to sources, it may come up for consideration before the next set of Assembly elections next year.
- West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry will vote in early summer 2021.
SOURCES: IE | Current Affairs News Analysis for UPSC | 12th Dec 2020
HGCO19
HEADLINES:
Indigenous mRNA vaccine candidate supported by DBT gets Drug Controller nod to initiate Human clinical trials
WHY IN NEWS:
Gennova has completed all preliminary work and should be initiating the Phase I/II Human clinical trial soon.
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3: Science and Technology : mRNA : Vaccines
ISSUE:
HGCO19 : mRNA VACCINE CANDIDATE
- Gennova, in collaboration with HDT Biotech Corporation, Seattle, USA, has worked together to develop an mRNA vaccine candidate.
FUNDED BY
PRINCIPLE
- The mRNA vaccines do not use the conventional model to produce immune response.
- The host body uses this to produce the viral protein that is recognized and thereby making the body mount an immune response against the disease.
- mRNA-based vaccines are scientifically the ideal choice to address a pandemic because of their rapid developmental timeline.
- They are expected to be highly efficacious because of their inherent capability of being translatable into the protein structure inside the cell cytoplasm.
SIGNIFICANCE
- The mRNA vaccine is considered safe as is non-infectious, non-integrating in nature, and degraded by standard cellular mechanisms.
- Additionally, mRNA vaccines are fully synthetic and do not require a host for growth, e.g., eggs or bacteria.
- The neutralizing antibody response of the vaccine in mice and non-human primates was comparable with the sera from the convalescent patients of COVID-19.
- It gives the advantage of a low dosing regimen compared with the non-replicating mRNA or traditional vaccines.
Ind-CEPI MISSION
- The Department of Biotechnology is implementing the IndCEPImission ‘India Centric Epidemic Preparedness through Rapid Vaccine Development.
- The Ind-CEPI mission of DBT is implemented by its PSU, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council ( BIRAC).
IASbhai WINDUP:
- HGCO19 has already demonstrated safety, immunogenicity, neutralization antibody activity in animals.
- HGCO19 uses the adsorption chemistry so that the mRNA is attached on the surface of the nano-lipid carrier to enhance the release kinetics of the mRNA .
- Gennova has completed all preliminary work and should be initiating the Phase I/II Human clinical trial soon.
- The approval from the DCGI office has been received.
SOURCES: IE | Current Affairs News Analysis for UPSC | 12th Dec 2020
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