Current Affairs

MPOX OUTBREAK

Why in the News?

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared Mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), with over 99,000 cases reported globally starting in 2022. The Democratic Republic of Congo has seen a steep rise and cases have now spread outside Africa to countries like Sweden and Pakistan. In response, India's Union Health Ministry has heightened surveillance at airports and land ports. Since 2022, India has recorded 30 Mpox cases, with the latest in March 2024.

About the Virus

• Formerly known as the Monkeypox virus, it was first identified in 1958 in laboratory monkeys, leading to its original name.
• It is a zoonotic virus that belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae.
• It is closely related to the variola virus (which causes smallpox), vaccinia virus (used in the smallpox vaccine), and cowpox virus.
• The first human case of mpox was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
• It can be severe, especially in children, pregnant women, and individuals with weakened immune systems.
• Symptoms: Fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion.
• Transmission: It spreads from animals via direct contact and from humans through respiratory droplets, skin lesions, bodily fluids or contaminated objects.
• Treatment: There is no specific treatment approved for mpox but antiviral medications like Tecovirimat (TPOXX), Cidofovir and Brincidofovir can be used in severe cases.

Mpox Virus

MALAYSIA'S ORANGUTAN DIPLOMACY

Why in the News?

Malaysia has reversed its plan to gift endangered orangutans to palm oil-importing countries after facing criticism from conservationists. Instead, these countries can now "adopt" orangutans by funding their conservation in Malaysia, where the apes will remain. This shift, announced by Plantation and Commodities Minister Johari Ghani, as Malaysia faces pressure to make its palm oil industry more sustainable.

Orangutan Diplomacy

• It emerged from Malaysia's proposal to use critically endangered orangutans as diplomatic gifts to countries that import its palm oil.
• The policy was inspired by China’s panda diplomacy — the practice of sending pandas from China to other countries as a tool of diplomacy and wildlife conservation.
• Malaysia is the world's second-largest producer of palm oil, a key ingredient in many food and cosmetic products.
• The proposal sparked widespread criticism from environmentalists and conservation groups due to the potential harm it could cause to the already vulnerable orangutan population.

Orangutan

• They are intelligent great ape's native to Borneo and Sumatra.
• They are known for their reddish-brown hair and long arms.
• They are the largest arboreal mammals, spending most of their lives in trees.
• Species: Pongo pygmaeus (Bornean), Pongo abelii (Sumatran), Pongo tapanuliensis (Tapanuli, critically endangered).
• They are critically endangered, with around 120,000 individuals remaining, their populations threatened by rapid deforestation from palm oil plantations, illegal logging, and hunting.

Orangutan

Location of Malaysia

LIQUID WATER ON MARS

Why in the News?

Scientists have discovered liquid water on Mars for the first time, revealing that there may be oceans’ worth of water deep within the planet's rocky outer crust. While water ice at the Martian poles has been known for some time, this finding marks a significant breakthrough. The study, titled "Liquid Water in the Martian Mid-Crust," was published last week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

About the Study

• Researchers used data from NASA’s Mars Insight Lander, which recorded over 1,300 quakes, to discover liquid water on Mars.
• They identified a layer of fractured igneous rock, likely granite, filled with liquid water at depths of 10 to 20 kilometers.
• This water is thought to have seeped from the surface billions of years ago when Mars had rivers and lakes.
• The discovery could also provide impetus to the ongoing search for evidence of life on Mars.

Mars

• It is the fourth planet from the Sun in our solar system.
• It is often referred to as the "Red Planet" due to its reddish appearance caused by iron oxide (rust) on its surface.
• It takes 687 Earth days to complete one orbit.
• Composition: Carbon dioxide (95.3%), with traces of nitrogen (2.7%) and argon (1.6%).
• It has the largest volcano in the solar system, Olympus Mons and the deepest canyon, Valles Marineris.
• It has two small irregularly shaped moons named Phobos and Deimos.
• The Mars Insight Lander, which operated from 2018 to 2022, provided significant data on the planet's seismic activity.

Mars

General Knowledge

EMINENT PERSONALITIES IN THE NEWS TODAY

Name	Designation	Image
Govind Mohan	Union Home Secretary
CV Ananda Bose	Governor of West Bengal
Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit	Vice Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University
Nayab Singh Saini	Chief Minister of Haryana
Mohan Charan Majhi	Chief Minister of Odisha
Piyush Goyal	Minister of Commerce and Industry
Chirag Paswan	Minister of Food Processing Industries
Rohit Sharma	Indian International Cricketer
Rahul Dravid	Former Indian Cricket Coach