Type: Prelims Only

Why in the News?

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that India has successfully eliminated Trachoma as a public health problem.
  • This makes India the third country in the Southeast Asia Region to achieve this milestone.

What is Trachoma?

• Trachoma is a bacterial infection that affects the eyes.
• It is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia Trachomatis.
• It is contagious, spreading through contact with the eyes, eyelids, or secretions from the nose or throat of an infected person.
• If untreated, Trachoma can lead to irreversible blindness.

Trachoma in India: A Historical Perspective

• In the 1950s and 1960s, Trachoma was one of the leading causes of blindness in India.
• To tackle this, India launched the National Trachoma Control Program in 1963.
• Later, these efforts were integrated into India’s National Program for Control of Blindness (NPCB).
  • In 1971, the rate of blindness due to trachoma was 5% in the country.
  • Due to various interventions under the National Programme for Control of Blindness & Visual Impairment (NPCBVI), the rate has now dropped to less than 1%.

What are the key measures taken to eliminate Trachoma?

• India implemented the WHO SAFE strategy across the country. This strategy includes:

1. Surgery
2. Antibiotics
3. Facial hygiene
4. Environmental cleanliness

• Although by 2017, India was declared free from infective Trachoma, it continued surveillance of Trachoma cases from 2019 to 2024.

Why in the News?

Rwanda has reported a Marburg virus outbreak with several confirmed cases and deaths, making it a country of concern for public health.

About the Marburg Virus

• The Marburg virus is a highly dangerous virus that causes Marburg Virus Disease (MVD), also known as Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever.
• It belongs to the same family of viruses as Ebola (the filovirus family).
• MVD has a case fatality rate that can range from 24% to 88%, depending on the virus strain and how cases are managed.
• The virus was first identified in 1967 during simultaneous outbreaks in Marburg and Frankfurt in Germany.

How does it spread?

• The Marburg virus initially spreads from animals to humans, primarily through exposure to Rousettus bats, particularly the Egyptian fruit bat, found in caves or mines.
• Once a person is infected, it can spread from human to human through:
  • Direct contact with the blood, and bodily fluids (urine, saliva, sweat, vomit, feces, breast milk, and semen) of an infected person.
  • Indirect contact with surfaces or objects like bedding or clothing that have been contaminated with these fluids.
  • Medical workers are often at risk, especially during outbreaks, due to contact with patients when proper infection control practices are not followed.
  • The virus does NOT spread through the air like the common cold or flu.

Symptoms and Treatment

• Symptoms typically begin between 2 to 21 days after exposure to the virus.
• Early symptoms are: High fever, severe headache, Muscle aches, Chills, Severe watery diarrhoea, abdominal pain and cramping, nausea and vomiting. 
• As the disease progresses, more severe symptoms may develop, including: Bleeding (both internal and external) ex—blood in vomit and faeces.
• Patients often die 8 to 9 days after the onset of symptoms, primarily from severe blood loss and multiple organ failure.
• Currently, there are no approved vaccines or specific antiviral treatments for MVD.  However, supportive care can improve the chances of survival.
• Supportive treatment includes:
  • Rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids to maintain fluid and electrolyte balance.
  • Treatment of specific symptoms like fever, pain, and diarrhoea.
  • Blood transfusions and oxygen therapy may be required for severe cases.

Why in the News?

Researcher have successfully mapped the entire brain of an adult fruit fly, marking the first time researchers have created such a detailed map of an adult animal’s brain.

Key findings

• Scientists identified more than 50 million connections between 139,000 neurons (brain nerve cells).
• They classified the cells into 8,453 distinct types, making it the largest catalogue of cell types in any brain.
• The research gave insights into how different types of cells function and how the fruit fly’s eyes process motion and color.
• A group of “hub neurons” was discovered, which may help speed up information flow.

Significance of the Work

• Although the human brain is more complex, the logic of how neurons communicate is similar between fruit flies and humans.
• Fruit flies are a valuable model system for neuroscience. Their brains solve many of the same problems that human brains do.
• It could help in understanding and treat mental health conditions like Parkinson’s and depression.
• The mapping of the fruit fly’s brain raises hopes that scientists will eventually be able to map the entire human brain.