25 July 2022

Daily UPSC Current Affairs Analysis

1 – Monkeypox:

GS II

Topic à Health related issues

• A zoonosis, or illness that spreads from sick animals to people, is monkeypox.
• Squirrels, dormice, rats taken from Gambian forests, and various types of monkeys have been found to be infected with the monkeypox virus.

Causes:

• Despite the lack of a confirmed natural reservoir, African rodents and monkeys are thought to transmit and become infected with monkeypox.

Occurrence:

• The WHO reports that cases tend to occur close to tropical rainforests where the virus-carrying animals live.
• Following two outbreaks of a pox-like illness in colonies of monkeys kept for research—hence the moniker “monkeypox”—the infection was first identified in 1958.
• The Democratic Republic of the Congo recorded the first instance of human infection in 1970. (DRC).
• 15 nations on four continents have so far reported verified instances of monkeypox in humans, according to the WHO.

Transmission:

• Contact with bodily fluids, sores on the skin or on internal mucosal surfaces, such as those in the mouth or throat, respiratory droplets, and infected items can all result in transmission.
• The longest reported chain of transmission is six generations, and human-to-human transfer is scarce (meaning the last person to be infected in this chain was six links away from the original sick person).

What distinguishes the monkey pox from the small pox?

• The variola virus, which causes smallpox, and the vaccinia virus, which was used in the smallpox vaccine, are also members of the genus orthopoxvirus, which also includes the virus that causes monkeypox.
• The symptoms of monkeypox are less severe than those of smallpox.
• Furthermore, the two diseases have different symptoms.
• Although smallpox was completely eradicated by vaccination in 1980, monkeypox still exists in some parts of Central and West Africa and has occasionally been detected abroad.

What are the disease’s signs and treatments?

• Fever, headache, backache, muscle aches, and tiredness are the first symptoms of monkey pox.
• Additionally, it results in lymphadenopathy, which is another condition that is not present in smallpox.
• Monkeypox typically has an incubation period of 7 to 14 days, but it can also be as long as 21 days.

Stage 1:A rash that starts on the face and extends to other parts of the body appears within a day to three days following the start of a fever.

Skin eruption stage: It can persist for two to four weeks and is characterised by the hardening of lesions, their filling with a clear fluid and later pus, and the development of scabs or crusts.

Mortality: In cases that have been documented, the percentage of patients who pass away has ranged from 0% to 11%, with mortality rates among small children being higher.

• There is no effective, safe therapy for monkeypox, although the WHO advises supportive care based on symptoms.
• Smallpox vaccine, antivirals, and vaccinia immune globulin (VIG) can all be utilised to manage a monkeypox outbreak in the US.

Way Forward:

• There are several steps that can be taken to guard against monkeypox virus infection.
• Avoid coming into contact with any animals that might be infected.
• Avoid touching any items that have come into contact with a sick animal, such as bedding.
• Separate infected patients from those who might contract the disease.
• After coming into contact with infected individuals or animals, wash your hands thoroughly.
• When providing patient care, put personal protective equipment (PPE) to use.

Source à The Indian Express

2 – Marsburg Virus Disease:

GS II

Topic à Health related issues

About:

• Haemorrhagic fever is caused by the very virulent Marburg virus illness, which is carried by bats and has an 88 percent death rate.
• It belongs to the same family as the Ebola virus family of pathogens.
• The disease was first identified in 1967 as a result of two significant epidemics that happened concurrently in Marburg, Frankfurt, and Belgrade, Serbia, as well as in Germany and Germany.
• The outbreak was linked to laboratory experiments with imported from Uganda African green monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops).
• The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda have all reported outbreaks and isolated cases since then.
• Since 1967, there have been 12 significant Marburg outbreaks, with the majority occurring in southern and eastern Africa.

Infection in humans:

• Long-term contact with mines or caverns where Rousettus bat colonies are present causes human infection with the Marburg virus disease.
• Megabats from the Old World belonging to the genus Rousettus. They are also known as flying foxes and dog-faced fruit bats.

Transmission:

• After becoming infected, a person can contract the Marburg virus from another person by coming into direct contact (through cuts in the skin or ruptured mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs, or other bodily fluids of an infected person, as well as by coming into contact with contaminated surfaces and materials (like bedding and clothing).

Symptoms:

• Muscle aches, bloody vomiting, headaches, and bleeding through multiple orifices.
• Jaundice, pancreatic inflammation, extreme weight loss, liver failure, major bleeding, and multiple organ malfunction are among the symptoms that worsen over time.

Diagnosis:

• Making a diagnosis is challenging because the disease’s symptoms resemble many of those of typhoid fever and malaria.
• Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing, however, can be utilised to confirm a case.

Treatment:

• Marburg hemorrhagic fever has no known cure or authorised vaccination. The use of supportive hospital therapy is advised.
• Supportive hospital therapy involves maintaining the patient’s blood pressure, oxygen levels, and electrolyte balance as well as treating any aggravating infections and restoring lost blood and clotting components.

Source à The Hindu

3 – Wind Energy in India:

GS III

Topic à Renewable Energy Sector

What is Wind Energy:

• Wind power or wind energy is the term for the process of using wind turbines to produce electricity. A well-liked, clean, renewable energy source with a significantly smaller carbon footprint is wind energy. The capacity of India to produce wind energy has significantly increased in recent years. As of 30 November 2021, the total installed wind power capacity was 40 GW, ranking as the fourth-highest installed wind power capacity in the world. The most wind power potential is found in the Southern, Western, and Northern regions. You will learn about Wind Energy in India from this article, which will help you with your UPSC Civil Service exam geography preparation.

How Does Wind Energy Produce Power?

• The wind rotates a turbine’s blades, which resemble propellers, around a rotor, which spins a generator, which produces power.
• Wind power or wind energy is the term for the process of using wind turbines to produce electricity.
• In the past, wind power has been harnessed using sails, windmills, and windpumps.
• Wind turbines transform the kinetic energy of the wind into mechanical energy.
• The lift that the wind gives the blades causes them to revolve (similar to the effect on aeroplane wings).
• The driving shaft that turns an electric generator, which produces electricity, is connected to the blades.

Wind park or farm:

• A group of wind turbines used to produce electricity in one location is referred to as a wind farm, wind park, wind power station, or wind power plant.
• The size of wind farms can range from a few dozen to several hundred turbines dispersed over a broad region.

Types:

Onshore:

• Wind turbines use the energy of moving air to produce electricity.
• On land, there are wind turbines known as onshore.

Offshore:

• Offshore wind farms are situated in freshwater or far from land.
• While a floating wind turbine is built in deeper waters with its base anchored to the seabed, a fixed-foundation wind turbine is built in shallow water.
• The construction of floating wind farms is still in its early phases.
• A minimum of 200 nautical miles must separate offshore wind farms from the shoreline, and they must be 50 feet underwater.
• Cables buried in the seabed transport electricity produced by offshore wind turbines back to land.

Indian Wind Energy Situation:

• India’s ability to generate wind energy has considerably expanded in recent years.
• As of 30 November 2021, the total installed wind power capacity was 40 GW, ranking as the fourth biggest installed wind power capacity in the world.
• The most wind power potential is found in the Southern, Western, and Northern regions.
• Wind generation saw a compound annual growth rate between 2010 and 2020 of 11.39 percent, while installed capacity saw a CAGR of 8.78 percent.
• According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), India’s 7,600 km of coastline has the potential to produce 127 GW of offshore wind energy.
• The National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) estimates that there is a total wind energy potential of 302 GW at a hub height of 100 metres.
• More than 95% of the resources that can be used for commerce are found in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu.
• By 2022 and 2030, respectively, the Union’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) wants to install 5 GW and 30 GW of offshore wind, respectively.

Governmental Programs:

National Policy for Wind-Solar Hybrids:

• The major objective is to establish a framework for the promotion of sizable grid-connected wind-solar PV hybrid systems to make the best and most economical use of available wind and solar resources, as well as of the land and related transmission facilities.

A national policy for offshore wind energy:

• In October 2015, the National Offshore Wind Energy Policy was announced.
• The Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which runs for 7600 kilometres along the Indian coastline, is where offshore wind energy development will take place.

Source à The Indian Express

4  – Snow Leopard:

Prelims Specific Topic

About Snow Leopard:

• Panthera uncia is its scientific name.
• Snow leopards reside in the Central Asian mountains.
• Only 3,920 to 6,390 snow leopards are thought to remain in the wild.
• Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are among the twelve nations that make up the range.

Status of Conservation:

• Prior to 2017, snow leopards were listed as an endangered species, however later that year their status was changed to vulnerable.

National conservation initiatives:

• According to sources, India is home to 450–500 snow leopards, which can be seen in the country’s upper Himalayan regions.
• Through the Project Snow Leopard, India has been protecting snow leopards and their habitats (PSL).
• Since 2013, India has further participated in the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection (GSLEP) Program.
• India has designated three expansive landscapes for conservation: Hemis-Spiti, which spans Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh; Nanda Devi-Gangotri; and Khangchendzonga-Tawang, which spans Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
• The Ministry of Environment, Forestry & Climate Change has listed 22 critically endangered species for its recovery programme, including the snow leopard.
• SECURE Himalaya: The project on preserving high-altitude biodiversity and lowering local communities’ reliance on the natural ecosystem was supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The four states that make up the snow leopard’s range—Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim—are now home to this initiative.
• “HimalSanrakshak” is a community volunteer effort to protect snow leopards.

International conservation initiatives:

• The Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program was created in response to the Bishkek Declaration, which established a target in 2013 to safeguard at least 20 snow leopard habitats with healthy populations by 2020. (GSLEP). Since then, every year on October 23 is designated as International Snow Leopard Day.
• On the same day, the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Programme (GSLEP) was also introduced. Its goal is to address high-mountain development challenges using snow leopard conservation as a centrepiece.

Issues with conservation:

• Increased poaching, habitat degradation, and hostility toward communities

Source à The Hindu