Zika Virus
- Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) surveillance system has recently detected cases of Zika Virus in Jaipur.
- Zika virus is a member of the virus family Flaviviridae.
- It is a mosquito-borne disease transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes.
- It can be passed from a pregnant woman to her fetus. Infection during pregnancy can cause certain birth defects.
- Zika infection during pregnancy can cause a birth defect of the brain called microcephaly and other severe brain defects.
- It is also linked to other problems, such as miscarriage, stillbirth, and other birth defects.
- There is no vaccine or medicine for Zika.
- The disease is currently being reported by 86 countries worldwide.
- Symptoms of Zika virus disease are similar to other viral infections such as dengue, which include fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain and headache.
- In India, the first outbreak was reported in Ahmedabad in January-February 2017 and 2nd outbreak in Krishnagiri district in Tamil Nadu.
- Both were successfully contained through intensive surveillance and vector management.
- According to WHO, Zika is no longer a public health emergency of international concern.
Diphtheria
- Government hospitals in Delhi has reported a dozen diphtheria deaths in children over the past two weeks.
- Diphtheria is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheria.
- It primarily infects the throat and upper airways and produces a toxin affecting other organs.
- The toxin causes a membrane of dead tissue to build up over the throat and tonsils, making breathing and swallowing difficult.
- The disease is spread through direct physical contact or from breathing in the coughs or sneezes of infected individuals.
- It can be fatal if left untreated, but has become increasingly rare in recent decades due to high rates of vaccination.
Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences
- Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences rewards the design of methods that addresses sustainable growth in the global economy and welfare.
- It is not formally a Nobel Prize.
- It was created by the Swedish central bank “in memory of Alfred Nobel” and first awarded in 1969.
- This year, it is awarded to William D. Nordhaus and Paul M.Romer from USA.
- Nordhaus is known for persuading governments to address climate change, preferably by imposing a tax on carbon emissions.
- Paul M. Romer is known for integrating technological innovations into long-run macro-economic analysis.
Cyclone Luban
- Tropical Cyclone Luban is spinning through the Arabian Sea.
- It is forecast to track toward Oman, Yemen or the Gulf of Aden in the week ahead.
- The cyclone is named as Luban by oman authorities.
- Tropical cyclones are most likely to develop in the Arabian Sea in the spring and fall.
- It usually affects the Arabian Peninsula every one to two years.
- The cyclone typically weaken as they approach the Arabian Peninsula due to dry desert air.
- This year, Cyclone Sagar made landfall in western Somalia in May. It was the country's strongest and westernmost tropical cyclone in records dating to the mid-1960s.
Voyager 2
- NASA has recently reported that Voyager 2 is nearing heliosphere (Sun's outer border) and could soon enter interstellar space.
- Voyager 2 is the space probe launched by NASA in 1977 to study the outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune).
- Heliopause - The place where the sun’s constant flow of material and magnetic field stop affecting its surroundings.
- Heliopause marks the end of a region created by our sun that is called the heliosphere.
- The sun creates heliosphere by sending a constant flow of particles and a magnetic field out into space at over 670,000 miles per hour. This stream is called the ‘solar wind.’
- Interstellar Space is the part of space that exists between stars with cold particles around it.
- Inside the heliosphere, the solar particles are hot but less concentrated. Outside of the bubble, they are very much colder but more concentrated.
- Once an object arrive in interstellar space, there would be an increase of “cold” particles around it.
Source: The Hindu, BusinessLine, Indian Express
