POLIO

With the possibility of a new Covid-19 variant triggering a fresh surge in cases, the Centre has told the states to send sewage samples to all sentinel sites that currently carry out surveillance of Poliovirus.
Sentinel surveillance is the “monitoring of rate of occurrence of specific diseases/conditions through a voluntary network of doctors, laboratories and public health departments with a view to assess the stability or change in health levels of a population”.

Polio

Polio is a crippling and potentially deadly viral infectious disease that affects the nervous system.

There are three individual and immunologically distinct wild poliovirus strains:

Symptomatically, all three strains are identical, in that they cause irreversible paralysis or even death.

However, there are genetic and virological differences, which make these three strains separate viruses which must
The virus is transmitted by person-to-person mainly through the faecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a common vehicle (for example, through contaminated water or food).
It largely affects children under 5 years of age. The virus multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous system and can cause paralysis.
Most people with polio do not feel sick. Some people have only minor symptoms, such as fever, tiredness, nausea, headache, pain in the arms and legs, etc.
In rare cases, polio infection causes permanent loss of muscle function (paralysis).
Polio can be fatal if the muscles used for breathing are paralysed or if there is an infection of the brain.
There is no cure, but it can be prevented through Immunisation
In 2019, polio outbreaks were recorded in the Philippines, Malaysia, Ghana, Myanmar, China, Cameroon, Indonesia and Iran, which were mostly vaccine-derived in which a rare strain of the virus genetically mutated from the strain in the vaccine.
According to the WHO (World Health Organisation), if the oral vaccine-virus is excreted and allowed to circulate in an unimmunised or under-immunised population for at least 12 months, it can mutate to cause infections.

Universal Immunization Programme (UIP):

It was launched in 1985 with the modification to ‘Expanded Programme of Immunization (EPI).
The objectives of the Programme include: Rapidly increasing immunisation coverage, Improving the quality of services, Establishing a reliable cold chain system to the health facility level, Introducing a district-wise system for monitoring of performance, Achieving self-sufficiency in vaccine production.
National Security Council Secretariat Recently, the National Security Council Secretariat organised the National Cyber Security Incident Response Exercise (NCX India) .
NCX India will be conducted as a hybrid exercise over a period of ten days from 18th to 29th April 2022.
It is launched with the aim to train senior management and technical personnel of Government/Critical Sector organisations and agencies on contemporary cyber threats and handling cyber incidents and response.

National Security Council

NSC of India is a three-tiered organisation that oversees political, economic, energy and security issues of strategic concern.
The National Security Advisor (NSA) presides over the NSC and is also the primary advisor to the Prime Minister. The current National Security Advisor is Ajit Doval.
It was formed in 1998, where all aspects of national security are deliberated upon.

SOURCE: THE HINDU,THE ECONOMIC TIMES,MINT

Post Views: 45