DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS + PIB -23rd March 2020- IASbhai

ABOUT THE NEW RESEARCH:

The National Institute of Virology, Pune, is in the process of validating this test on clinical samples.

The “probe-free detection assay” has been optimised and tested for sensitivity at the research laboratories of IIT.

The Centre on Saturday recommended that the maximum charge for a COVID-19 test by private laboratories should not exceed ₹4,500.

However, the team at IIT claimed their test could be performed at a much cheaper cost.

These unique regions are not present in other human coronaviruses, providing an opportunity to specifically detect COVID-19,

‘ACCURATE RESULTS’

The current testing methods available are “probe-based”, while the one developed by them is “probe-free”, which reduces the testing cost without compromising on accuracy.

The primers designed by the group specifically bind to regions conserved in over 200 fully sequenced COVID-19 genomes.

Lockdown advantage: With people staying home during the ‘Janata Curfew’ on Sunday, Fire and Emergency Service personnel sprayed disinfectants in Ahmedabad.

A lockdown is the most important step in breaking transmission of the infection.

Testing had been scaled up with 111 labs offering COVID-19 tests.

Also, four of 60 online applications received from the private sector to test for the virus had been approved.

“There has been no delay in allowing private labs to test.

The idea was to put in place enough safety nets to prevent any accidents to medical personnel handling this highly infectious virus,’’ .

“India in the past one week has tested 5,000 samples and has the capacity to scale up to 50,000-70,000 tests a week.

Compared to this, France tested 10,000 a week, the U.K. 16,000 a week and the U.S. 26,000 a week.

The virus test can be positive between two and 14 days and 80% people experience only mild symptoms and 55% need hospitalisation.

VENTILATORS ORDERED

India had placed orders for 1,200 ventilators.

“India enough stock of personal protection equipment and have asked the States to use all their resources to ensure that the poor and disadvantaged groups don’t suffer.

Huge haul: Sri Lankan police personnel examining drugs seized by the Navy on March 5.

Noting that the history of the Golden Triangle (the opium-producing area where the borders of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos meet) demonstrated that meth production could have significant impacts on the opium economy, rapidly transforming a plant-based narcotics challenge into a challenge of tracking large synthetic laboratories

The Golden Triangle is the area where the borders of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar meet at the confluence of the Ruak and Mekong rivers. 

It is the indication of an emerging trend of meth produced in Afghanistan being smuggled out through an already well-established route for heroin trafficking to different parts of the world.

METHAMPHETAMINE

Also known as meth, crystal, glass, ice, speed and shards, methamphetamine is a psychostimulant “party” drug.

It is much cheaper and highly addictive compared with cocaine. Its effect may last for over 12 hours. In contrast, heroin is a depressant.

In Afghanistan, meth is known as shisha (glass).

• Methamphetamine is usually a white, bitter-tasting powder or a pill. Crystal methamphetamine looks like glass fragments or shiny, bluish-white rocks.
• Methamphetamine is a stimulant drug that is chemically similar to amphetamine (a drug used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy).
• People can take methamphetamine by smoking, swallowing, snorting, or injecting the drug.
• Methamphetamine increases the amount of dopamine in the brain, which is involved in movement, motivation, and reinforcement of rewarding behaviors.
• Short-term health effects include increased wakefulness and physical activity, decreased appetite, and increased blood pressure and body temperature.
• Long-term health effects include risk of addiction; risk of contracting HIV and hepatitis; severe dental problems (“meth mouth”); intense itching, leading to skin sores from scratching; violent behavior; and paranoia.
• Methamphetamine can be highly addictive. When people stop taking it, withdrawal symptoms can include anxiety, fatigue, severe depression, psychosis, and intense drug cravings.
• The most effective treatments for methamphetamine addiction so far are behavioral therapies.
• There are currently no government-approved medications to treat methamphetamine addiction.
• A person can overdose on methamphetamine. Because methamphetamine overdose often leads to a stroke, heart attack, or organ problems.

BULK PRODUCTION

A startling revelation was that the meth in the country was being produced in bulk using ephedrine extracted from a shrub locally known as Oman (Ephedra) growing in the wild in the Afghan mountains, including in Helmand, Ghazni and Wardak.(MAP THEM)

The shift from use of chemical to plant-based ephedrine for making meth was very recent.

If it spreads, serious patients will come in and we cannot miss this indication. COVID-19 is a new animal in the zoo, we are still understanding the virus.

We know that it is a pandemic, it is somewhat explosive and somewhat delayed. We may be better-off currently but be prepared for the worst.

We should be sensible for the next two months.

Since we cannot create a perfect situation, social distancing is key and this drill is essential.

We are looking at two types of technologies/products — one is diagnostic kits and the other, of course, vaccine which is a long term solution.