{"id":126125,"date":"2024-08-13T19:52:37","date_gmt":"2024-08-13T14:22:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=editorial-analysis&#038;p=126125"},"modified":"2024-08-14T18:34:15","modified_gmt":"2024-08-14T13:04:15","slug":"viral-disease-outbreaks-and-state-responses","status":"publish","type":"editorial-analysis","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/viral-disease-outbreaks-and-state-responses","title":{"rendered":"On Viral Disease Outbreaks and State Responses"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since the<\/span><b> Zika outbreak began on June 20,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> when the first case was reported from Pune, confirmed cases have been slowly but steadily rising.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100.099%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"width: 100%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: rgba(184, 165, 217, 0.53); text-align: left; vertical-align: middle;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Relevancy for Prelims:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Zika Virus, Viral Diseases, COVID-19, etc.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Relevancy for Mains:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Challenges in developing a decentralized system for virus testing, Effective management of viral outbreaks, etc.<\/span><\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Viral Disease Outbreaks and State Responses<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As of August first week, <\/span><b>Maharashtra<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has reported<\/span><b> 88 confirmed cases.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Pune city, the epicentre<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, alone accounts for<\/span><b> 73 cases<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, while six are from Pune rural.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of the total number reported so far, at 37,<\/span><b> pregnant women alone account for half<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the number of confirmed infections.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Though rare, people with Zika virus infection run a risk of suffering from <\/span><b>Guillain-Barr\u00e9 syndrome,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a neurological disorder in which the immune system mistakenly attacks part of the <\/span><b>peripheral nervous system.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Course<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But a more<\/span><b> harmful effect is seen in pregnant women<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> who run a risk of giving birth to babies with a <\/span><b>smaller than average head size, called microcephaly,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and other neurological impairments.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As in a January 2023 paper in <\/span><b>The Lancet Regional Health \u2013 Americas,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a meta-analysis of babies born to <\/span><b>1,548 pregnant women infected<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with the Zika virus, from 13 studies in <\/span><b>Brazil <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">between 2015 and 2017, found the absolute risk of microcephaly to be 6.6% either at birth or during follow-up.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Babies also had <\/span><b>18.7% absolute risk <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of suffering from functional neurological abnormalities, and a relatively<\/span><b> smaller risk of neuroimaging, ophthalmic and auditory abnormalities.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There was also a significant<\/span><b> risk of premature birth<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (10.5%) and <\/span><b>low birth weight.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Less known is the<\/span><b> risk of sexual transmission <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of the virus by infected men due to the presence of potentially infectious virus in their semen for at least two months.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is hence important for infected men, especially those planning a family, to be made <\/span><b>aware of the risk as well as recommend measures to prevent viral transmission<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to women for at least three months, as in the U.S. CDC guidelines.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Given the harmful effects of the virus, it is shocking that the Pune-based ICMR lab ramped up <\/span><b>testing only after the publication of news <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">about the Pune Municipal Corporation planning to<\/span><b> send samples<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to a <\/span><b>government medical college<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> instead to cut the delay in testing.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As Kerala just demonstrated in the <\/span><b>latest outbreak of the Nipah virus<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and as <\/span><b>Gujarat learnt it the hard way <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in the ongoing<\/span><b> Chandipura virus outbreak<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and acute encephalitis syndrome cases, it is becoming increasingly important and necessary that <\/span><b>States develop the capacity<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to conduct high-quality testing and sequencing of viruses that cause frequent and deadly outbreaks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From the time that the first suspected case is observed, the<\/span><b> reduction in the lead time to test <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">results is the key to instituting timely public health responses that can<\/span><b> limit the virus spread and stop an outbreak.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the <\/span><b>advantages of decentralised testing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and sequencing, and this should be replicated for every pathogen that causes deadly outbreaks.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-modules?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Modules\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC Modules From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Effective and timely testing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is crucial for managing viral outbreaks. States must enhance testing capabilities and<\/span><b> learn from past outbreaks<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to prevent and control future crises.<\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100.099%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"width: 100%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: rgba(184, 165, 217, 0.53); text-align: left; vertical-align: middle;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Mains Question:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/mains-answer-writing\/analyze-the-multifaceted-challenges-in-developing-a-decentralized-system-for-virus-testing-and-sequencing-across-india-also-discuss-how-such-a-system-could-contribute-to-more-effective-management-of-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Q. Analyze the multifaceted challenges in developing a decentralized system for virus testing and sequencing across India. Also discuss how such a system could contribute to more effective management of viral outbreaks. (10 Marks, 150 Words)<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100.029%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 137.929%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\" colspan=\"2\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Must Read<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50.5357%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UPSC Daily Editorials<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 87.3936%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/daily-current-affairs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UPSC Daily Current Affairs<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50.5357%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-textbooks?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Textbooks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC NCERT Textbooks From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 87.3936%; 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