Why in news
- Official health data from the Democratic Republic of Congo recorded over 5,000 cases in the ongoing Ebola outbreak.
Key points
- Ebola Virus Disease is a severe and often fatal illness in humans caused by filoviruses, with an average case fatality rate around 50%.
- The virus is transmitted to humans from wild animals, primarily fruit bats, and spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids.
- Outbreak containment efforts in eastern Congo face severe operational bottlenecks due to regional conflict, displacement, and damaged healthcare infrastructure.
- The World Health Organization utilizes ring vaccination strategies employing vaccines such as Ervebo to prevent epidemic expansion.
Key terms
Zoonotic Disease
An infectious disease that jumps from a non-human animal host to humans.
Ring Vaccination
A strategy of vaccinating contacts and contacts-of-contacts around an infected individual to form a buffer zone against transmission.
Prelims facts
- Ebola virus belongs to the Filoviridae family and is a viral hemorrhagic fever.
- Natural reservoir hosts for the Ebola virus are fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family.
Mains discussion
- Discuss global health security governance mechanisms required to contain lethal zoonotic outbreaks in conflict-affected developing regions.
Source: The Hindu
Same topic · past papers
UPSC has asked this before
These previous-year questions sit on the same topic. Open one to practise the earlier ask.
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2015 · Q17 · General Studies · 2 marks
Among the following, which were frequently mentioned in the news for the outbreak of Ebola virus recently? -
2023 · Q7 · General Studies · 2 marks
About three-fourths of world's cobalt, a metal required for the manufacture of batteries for electric motor vehicles, is produced by -
2021 · Q93 · General Studies · 2 marks
What was the exact constitutional status of India on 26th January, 1950?