Current Affair 1:

Why is Himachal seeing a spike in scrub typhus?

 

Record-breaking rainfall in Himachal Pradesh this year caused due to climate change is responsible for the spike in scrub typhus cases across the state.

The hill state in the north of the country has received 816 millimetres (mm) rainfall from June 1 to August 31 this year, according to data from the India Meteorological Department. This is 33 per cent more than the 613 mm that it usually receives.

As per the experts, excessive humidity due to high rainfall provided good conditions for the growth of mites known as ‘chiggers’. They are a vector for Orientia tsutsugamushi, the pathogen responsible for causing scrub typhus.

Symptoms of scrub typhus include headache, fever along with joint pain, body ache, shivering and red rashes on the body and lethargy. If such symptoms manifest themselves in a person, they should immediately consult a doctor.

Another bacterium in news:

Vibrio vulnificus:

People can get V vulnificus by eating infected raw shellfish (which results in diarrhoea, vomiting, fever) or by exposing wounds to waters where the bacteria live (which can cause life-threatening flesh-eating disease that kills about 20 per cent of the infected in one or two days).

These pathogens thrive in the tropics or subtropics, where sea or brackish water temperatures reach 20°C or higher. They also prefer waters with low salinity.

As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of cyclones, rain and flooding, coastal communities across the world could face a higher risk of exposure to V vulnificus. High rainfall also reduces salt levels in the sea, which suits the bacteria.

The first case of V vulnificus in humans was recorded in 1976 in the US. The country now records at least 100 cases every year.

India has 7 cases till date.

Current Affair 2:

Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI)

 

Over 500 of India’s 718 districts monitored by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) are currently reporting meteorological drought conditions, ranging from mildly dry to extremely dry.

 

The findings were based on Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI) data from August 20, 2023 to September 24, 2023 maintained by IMD.

SPI is a probabilistic tool deployed by IMD for monitoring drought. Negative values mean drought-like conditions, while positive values mean wetter conditions.

Most of India — 53 per cent of the districts — was found to be in the ‘mildly dry’ category. Almost the whole of Northeast India, pockets of eastern India, Jammu and Kashmir and large parts of the Southern Peninsula, stretching from Maharashtra, Karnataka to Andhra Pradesh in the eastern coast were in the ‘moderately dry’ or ‘extremely dry’ categories.

Current Affair 3:

UrbanShift Asia Forum

 

UrbanShift supports cities around the world to adopt integrated approaches to urban development, building an equitable, zero-carbon future where both people and planet can thrive.

UrbanShift is funded by the Global Environment Facility, led by the UN Environment Programme and implemented in partnership with the World Resources Institute, C40 Cities, ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, the UN Development Programme, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank.

UrbanShift’s approach to transformative urban development is two-fold: local action at the city level combined with a global capacity-building offer.

Why UrbanShift focus on cities?

UrbanShift’s projects in India:

Current Affair 4:

Amazon Future Engineer Programme

 

News:

Amazon Future Engineer Program initiative is a huge step towards ensuring that the succeeding tribal generations become well-equipped to leverage digital opportunities. Its first phase was introduced in 2021.

The program has been designed in collaboration with the Learning Links Foundation (LLF) and focuses on enhancing access for underprivileged students to explore computer science education and careers.

National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS), under Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs, launched the Phase II of the ‘Amazon Future Engineer Programme’ in 54 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) spread across Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana.

One of the objectives is that Amazon Future Engineer (AFE) Program is being launched in schools having access to digital infrastructure including a computer lab and stable active internet connectivity. Course modules shall include Computer Science Fundamentals, Introduction to Coding, Logical Sequencing, Learning Loops, Block Programming using open secure source platforms like code.org, Class Chat Sessions to discuss tech space, different tech initiatives, etc.

Not needed more than this.

 

 

 

 

 

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