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Diseases and vaccines

Topics covered

1. Basics

1. Diseases- Types

2. Microbes- Diseases

2. Immune System

1. Types
2. Functioning

3. Vaccines

1. Types
2. Functioning

4. Antibiotics and Anti-virals

5. Immunisation Programs in India

6. Diseases that are currently in news

1. Corona Virus Disease

2. Hanta Virus Disease

3. Kyasanur forest disease

4. Yellow Fever

5. Swine Flu

6. CANINE DISTEMPER VIRUS (CDV)

7. Rota Virus Disease

8. Zika

9. Ebola
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10. Nipah

11. Measles- Rubella

12. Lymphatic Filariasis

13. Japanese Encephalitis

14. Leptospirosis

15. H9N2

7. Government of India initiatives in News

1. MERA India Initiative

2. New Influenza Research Program

3. Eat Right Movement

4. Arogya Setu App

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Diseases-

A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function
of all or part of an organism, and that is not due to any immediate external injury.

Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that are associated with specific symptoms
and signs.

Diseases are categorised into communicable and non-communicable diseases.

Characteristics Communicable Diseases Non-communicable diseases

Definition Diseases spread from one to Diseases cannot be transmitted from
another person. Can be one to another person
spread through water, air etc
Causative Pathogens that are highly Here, the causative is allergies,
infectious and vectors malnutrition, illness due to internal
transmit these diseases factors, lifestyle changes,
environmental changes, abnormalities
in cell proliferation etc
Agent causing Virus, bacteria, etc. No agents
infection
Inheritance Cannot be inherited from one Can be inherited from generation on
factor generation to another
Example AIDS, Typhoid, Tuberculosis, Allergies, cancer, heart diseases,
Malaria, Cholera diabetes
Type of disease As it can develop almost As it develops over a period of time and
immediately, it is acute lasts for long, it is chronic
Treatment Traditional Surgically or specialized methodologies
methods/therapies
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Fig: Non Communicable Diseases

Microbes

Microbes are tiny living things that are found all around us and are too small to be seen by
the naked eye.

✓ A few harmful microbes, for example less than 1% of bacteria, can invade our body (the
host) and make us ill. Microbes cause infectious diseases such as flu and measles.
✓ Microbes that causes disease are called pathogens.

There are 4 types of microbes that cause disease;

✓ Viruses
✓ Bacteria
✓ Fungi
✓ Protozoa (also known as protoctista).

Viruses
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✓ Viruses are very small, and most can only be seen with an electron microscope.
They just contain a core of nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) surrounded by a covering layer of
protein (no cytoplasm, cell membrane or anything else).
✓ They are not usually considered as living organisms, as they are very simple and do not
carry out most of the living processes which other living organisms perform.
✓ Viruses are not made of cells, and are sometimes referred to as virus particles or virions.
✓ Viruses are inactive when outside of a living cell, but once their nucleic acid is inside they
take over the cell's activities. Usually they make many copies of themselves inside the cell,
then break out of the cell and infect others.
✓ Viruses cannot be killed by antibiotics such as penicillin.

Virus Viroid Prion

An infective agent that The infectious particle An infectious protein
typically consists of a nucleic smaller than the known particle similar to a virus but
acid molecule in a protein viruses, serving as an agent lacking nucleic acid;
coat and is able to multiply of certain plant diseases
only with in the living cells of
a host
Can cause wide variety of Infect only plant cells degenerative diseases of
infections nervous system
Contains either DNA or RNA Contains a short strand of Contains only proteins and
as their nucleic acids circular, single stranded RNA lack nucleic acids
as their nucleic acid
Contains protein coat No protein coat -
surrounding its nucleic acid

Diseases caused by virus

DISEASES AFFECTED ORGAN NAME OF VIRUS SYMPTOMS
AIDS Defensive system HIV Immune system of
(WBC) body becomes weak.
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Dengue fever Whole body Dengue Virus Pain in muscles, head

particularly head, and joints.
eyes and joints
Polio Throat, backbone Polio virus Fever, body pain,
nerve backbone and
intestine cells are
destroyed.
Chicken pox Whole body Variola virus High fever, radish
eruption on body.
Small pox Whole body Varicella virus Light fever, eruption
of bile on body.
Measles Whole body Morbeli virus Reddish eruption on
body.
Herpes Skin Herpes virus Swelling in skin.

COVID-19 Lungs and SARS Cov-2 Virus Fever, difficulty in

respiratory system breathing, cough,etc.

Bacteria
Bacteria are single celled organisms, only visible (as "dots" and "dashes") with a (good) light
microscope.

✓ They are larger than viruses but smaller than ordinary cells of the human body. They
contain DNA but this is not inside a structure like a nucleus.
✓ Not all bacteria cause disease; some are very useful "in nature". When bacteria infect
the body, they can reproduce quite fast.
✓ Often, they produce chemicals called toxins which have the actual effect which causes
an illness. Bacteria can usually be killed by antibiotics such as penicillin.

DISEASES CAUSED BY BACTERIA:

DISEASES AFFECTED ORGAN NAME OF BACTERIA SYMPTOMS

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Tetanus Nervous system Clostridium tetani High fever, spasm in

body, closing of jaws
etc
Cholera Intestine Vibro cholerae Continuous stool
and vomiting
Typhoid Intestine Salmonella typhia High fever , head-
ache
Tuberculosis Lungs Myccbacterium Repea-ted cough-ing
tuberculosis
Diphtheria Respiratory tube Coryne-bacterium Difficulty in respire-
diptheriae tion and suffocating
Plague Lungs , area Pasteurella pesties Very high fever,
between two legs muscular eruption
on body

Whooping cough Respiratory system Hemophilis pertusis Continu-ous

coughing
Pneumonia Lungs Diplococcus High fever, swelling
pnemoniae in lungs
Leprosy Nervous system skin Mycobacterium Spots on body,
leprae nerves affected.

Fungi
Fungi (singular fungus) are slightly larger than bacteria, and their DNA is contained inside
nuclei like plant and animal cells.

✓ They are more suited to living in a liquid environment.

✓ Not all fungi cause disease; some are very useful "in nature".

Examples of diseases caused by fungi: Athlete's foot (not only caught by athletes, or confined
to the foot!), ringworm (not a worm),etc

Protozoa/protoctista
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These are generally single celled organisms with true nuclei and a cell membrane, so they are
quite like our body cells.

Examples of diseases caused by protozoa/protoctista: Malaria, sleeping sickness, dysentery.,

etc.

DISEASES CAUSED BY PROTOZOANS:

DISEASES AFFECTED ORGAN PARASITE SYMPTOMS

Malaria RBC & liver Plasmodium Fever with shiver-
ing
Pyorrhoea Gums Entamoeba gingivilis Bleed-ing from
gums
Sleeping sickness Brain Trpano-somia Fever with sever
sleep
Kala- azar Bone marrow Leismania donovani High fever

DISEASES CAUSED BY WORMS (helminths):

Filariasis

✓ Pathogen: Filarial worm

✓ Mode of transmission: Bites of mosquitoes: Aedes and culex.
✓ Symptoms
Swelling takes place in certain parts of body like legs, breast, scrotum etc.
Swelling of legs which appear as legs of elephant, so this disease is also called
elephantiasis.
✓ Prevention and cure: Mesh doors and windows in house to check the entry of
mosquitoes.

IMMUNE SYSTEM

✓ Immune system fights the disease-causing agents when they try to enter into our
body.
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✓ It consists of a complex network of specialized cells, tissues, and organs.

✓ Immune system recognizes and defends the body from foreign substances, primarily
disease-causing microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi is called
immune system.
✓ Organs and tissues of the immune system include the bone marrow, spleen, thymus,
tonsils, mucous membranes, and skin.

Fig: Organs and Tissues of Immune System

Immunity: Resistance of the body for an infection.

Herd immunity
✓ Herd immunity is the resistance of a group of people to an infection.
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✓ It arises due to the immunity of a high proportion of the population, for example
because they have been vaccinated or been exposed to the pathogen before.

Fig: How immune system works? (*NKC means- Natural Killer Cells)

When the immune system is unable to fight or insufficiently fights with the disease-causing
element that enters into our body, the person falls ill.

Types of Immunity:
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Fig: Types of Immunity

Vaccination

A vaccine is a substance that is introduced into the body to stimulate the body’s immune
response.

It is given to prevent an infectious disease from developing and the person becoming ill.

e.g. polio vaccine, BCG, Measles vaccine etc.

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Fig: Working of Vaccines

Types of Vaccines:

Vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a

particular infectious disease.

These are categorised into 3 generations:

I. First Generation Vaccines-

✓ These vaccines consist of infectious organisms, either in mild or dead form.

✓ The first-generation vaccines are still widely used today. Eg. Polio vaccine.
✓ There are chances that mild viruses get into dangerous form.

II. Second Generation Vaccines- (Sub Unit Vaccines)

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✓ These vaccines were created in order to minimise the risks of having the pathogen revert
to a dangerous form.
Eg. DTP vaccine
✓ The way these vaccines work is that they do not contain the whole organism, but rather
contain only subunits.

III. Third Generation Vaccines- (DNA Vaccine)

DNA vaccines are called as third generation vaccines. These vaccines are made up of a small,
circular piece of bacterial DNA (called a plasmid) that has been genetically engineered to
produce one or two specific proteins (antigens) from a pathogen.

Fig: Types of Vaccines

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Production of Modern Vaccine:

Fig: Production of Hepatitis B Vaccine

Antibiotics

Antibiotics are chemicals that kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria and are used to treat
bacterial infections.

E.g. penicillin, Tetracycline etc.

How do antibiotics work?

✓ Antibiotics take advantage of the difference between the structure of the bacterial
cell and the host’s cell.
✓ They either prevent the bacterial cells from multiplying so that the bacterial
population remains the same, allowing the host’s defence mechanism to fight the
infection or kill the bacteria, for example stopping the mechanism responsible for
building their cell walls.
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Anti virals

✓ Antivirals are a class of medications that are used to treat viral infections.
✓ Most viral infections resolve spontaneously in immunocompetent individuals.
✓ The aim of antiviral therapy is to minimize symptoms and infectivity as well as to
shorten the duration of illness.
✓ These drugs act by arresting the viral replication cycle at various stages.
✓ Currently, antiviral therapy is available only for a limited number of infections. Most
of the antiviral drugs currently available are used to treat infections caused by HIV,
herpes viruses, hepatitis B and C viruses, and influenza A and B viruses.
✓ Unlike other antimicrobials, antiviral drugs do not deactivate or destroy the virus but
act by inhibiting replication.
✓ In this way, they prevent the viral load from increasing to a point where it could cause
pathogenesis, allowing the body's innate immune mechanisms to neutralize the virus.

ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE (AMR)- WHO DEFINITION

✓ Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the ability of a microorganism (like bacteria, viruses,

and some parasites) to stop an antimicrobial (such as antibiotics, antivirals and
antimalarials) from working against it. As a result, standard treatments become
ineffective, infections persist and may spread to others.
✓ When the microorganisms become resistant to most antimicrobials they are often
referred to as “superbugs”.
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Fig: Anti biotic resistance

Difference between antibiotic and antimicrobial resistance

• Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria change in response to the use of
antibiotics used to treat bacterial infections (such as urinary tract infections,
pneumonia, bloodstream infections) making them ineffective.
• Antimicrobial resistance is a broader term, encompassing resistance to drugs that
treat infections caused by other microbes as well, such as parasites (e.g. malaria or
helminths), viruses (e.g. HIV) and fungi (e.g. Candida).

CAUSES

Antimicrobial resistance occurs naturally but is facilitated by the inappropriate use of

medicines

• Using antibiotics for viral infections such as cold or flu, or sharing antibiotics.
• Low-quality medicines,
• Wrong prescriptions and
• Poor infection prevention and control also encourage the development and spread of
drug resistance.

India- Immunisation Program-

Universal Immunization Programme (UIP)

Immunization Programme in India was introduced in 1978 as ‘Expanded Programme of

Immunization’ (EPI) by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

Vaccine Preventable Disease(VPD) Vaccine

Tuberculosis BCG (Bacillus Calmette Guerin)
Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus DPT
Poliomyelitis Oral Polio Vaccine(OPV) and Inactivated Polio
Vaccine(IPV)
Hepatitis B Hepatitis B Vaccine
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Measles Measles
Tetanus Tetanus Toxoid (TT)
Haemophilus influenzae type b Infection Hib containing Pentavalent vaccine
(DPT+HepB+Hib) (In Selected States)
Rotavirus Infections Rotavirus Vaccine
Measles, Rubella Measles-Rubella (MR) Vaccine
Japanese Encephalitis(JE) Adult JE Vaccine

Mission Indradanush- 2014

✓ To strengthen and re-energize the UIP and achieve full immunization coverage for all
children and pregnant women at a rapid pace.
✓ The ultimate goal of Mission Indradhanush was to ensure full immunization with all
available vaccines for children up to two years of age and pregnant women.

Intensified Mission Indradanush(IMI)

To further intensify the immunization programme, Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI)

was launched in October 2017.

Through this programme, Government of India aims to reach each and every child up to two
years of age and all those pregnant women who have been left uncovered under the routine
immunisation programme/UIP.

National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP): For control of Dengue and
elimination of Kala-azar and Lymphatic Filariasis.

National Strategic Plan for Tuberculosis Elimination(2017-2025)

✓ To achieve active case finding of TB to 100% by 2020 and complete elimination of TB

by 2025.
✓ The four strategic pillars of the programme are: Detect-Treat-Prevent-Build(DTPB).

National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination(2017-22)

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The plan aims to achieve universal case detection and treatment services in malaria endemic
districts to ensure 100% diagnosis of all suspected cases and full treatment of all confirmed
cases.

Immunodiagnostics
Immunodiagnostics is a diagnostic methodology that uses an antigen-antibody reaction as
their primary means of detection.

1. The concept of using immunology as a diagnostic tool was introduced in 1960 as a test
for serum insulin.

2. A second test was developed in 1970 as a test for thyroxine in the 1970s. It is well-
suited for the detection of even the smallest of amounts of chemical substances.

3. Antibodies specific for a desired antigen can be conjugated with a radiolabel,

fluorescent label, or colour-forming enzyme and are used as a "probe" to detect it.

4. known applications include pregnancy tests, immunoblotting, ELISA and

immunohistochemical staining of microscope slides.

5. The speed, accuracy and simplicity of such tests has led to the development of rapid
techniques for the diagnosis of disease, microbes and even illegal drugs in vivo.

6. Such testing is also used to distinguish compatible blood types.

7. The Enzyme-Linked Immuno-Sorbent Assay or ELISA and the Lateral-Flow test, also
known as the dipstick or rapid test, currently are the two predominant formats in
immunodiagnostics.

Reagents Used in Immuno Diagnostics Tests

➢ Serum: The most common source of antibodies is serum obtained from clotted blood.
Serum may be stored frozen and tested when convenient.
➢ Antiglobulins: Antiglobulins are essential reagents in many immunological tests.
Immunoglobulins are antigenic when injected into an animal of a different species. For
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example, purified dog immunoglobulins can be injected into rabbits. The rabbits
respond by making specific antibodies called antiglobulins
➢ Monoclonal Antibodies: Hybridoma-derived monoclonal antibodies are pure and
specific, can be used as standard chemical reagents, and can be obtained in almost
unlimited amounts. As a result, monoclonal antibodies frequently replace
conventional antiserum as reagents in immunodiagnostic tests.
➢ Specific Antibodies: When detecting antigens in tissues or fluids, the first steps may
involve the use of a specific antibody against the antigen of interest. These antibodies
are often made by immunizing mammals but Chicken IgY antibodies usage increased
recently.

Immuno Diagnostic Methods:

1. AGGLUTINATION: The interaction between antibody and a particulate antigen results in

visible clumping called agglutination. Ab that produce such reaction are called agglutinins.

2. RADIOIMMUNOASSAY: RIA has been widely used to screen for the presence of the
hepatitis B virus: It can also be used to detect the levels of most of our hormones, digitoxin
or digoxin in patients receiving these drugs. It can also be used to detect the concentration of
certain abused drugs. RIA can also be used for the detection of specific secretory protein
tuberculin derived from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

3. ELISA:

Among the most important immunoassays employed in medicine is the ELISA. As with other
primary binding tests, ELISAs may be used to detect and measure either antibody or antigen.
ELISA are created by coating the antigen or antibody on a suitable plastic. To complete the
reaction, an enzymatic detection method with a color-forming substrate is required. ELISA
can be either competitive or noncompetitive. ELISA is a standard tool for quantifying the
antibody or antigen in a serum ELISA PLATE.

INDIRECT ELISA: Primary antibody is added to an antigen-coated microtiter well. After any
free Ab is washed away, the presence of antibody bound to the antigen is detected by adding
an enzyme conjugated secondary antiisotype antibody (Ab2) which binds to the primary
antibody. Any free antibody is then washed away and a substrate for the enzyme is added
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and the colored reaction product is measured by spectrophotometric plate reader, which can
measure the absorbance of all the wells.

SANDWICH ELISA: In this technique, the antibody is immobilized on a microtiter well. Sample
containing antigen is added and allowed to react with the immobilized antibody. Second
enzyme linked antibody specific for a different epitope on the antigen is added. Substrate
added and colored reaction product is measured.

COMPETITIVE ELISA: The ELISA, or the enzyme immunoassay (EIA), was the first screening test
widely used for HIV because of its high sensitivity

In an ELISA, a person's serum is diluted 400-fold and applied to a plate to which HIV antigens
are attached. If antibodies to HIV are present in the serum, they may bind to these HIV
antigens.

Pregnancy tests also use a sandwich ELISA method. An enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for
detection of Typhoid fever was developed using Salmonella typhi outer membrane protein
(OMP) preparations as antigen.

This technique is faster than other ELISA techniques. It can be made very sensitive if the
sample antigen is permitted to react with the antibody before the labeled antigen is added.

4. WESTERN BLOTTING

One solution to the problem of identifying protein antigens in a complex mixture is by use of
a technique called Western blotting. This is a three-stage primary binding test.

Stages involved-

1. Serum is separated by electrophoresis and blotted onto nitrocellulose paper; the antigen
bands are revealed by use of specific antibody and an enzyme- or isotope-labeled
antiglobulin.

2. The blotting stage may be a passive transfer or an electric potential may be used to
accelerate the blotting process.

3. The third stage involves visualization of transferred antigens by means of an enzyme

immunoassay or radioimmunoassay.
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5. PRIMARY BINDING TESTS

Primary binding tests are performed by allowing antigen and antibody to combine and then
measuring the immune complexes formed. In order to measure these reactions, one of the
reactants must be chemically labeled. Labels: Radioisotopes, fluorescent dyes, colloidal
metals, and enzymes

Radioimmunoassay:

Assays that use radioisotopes as labels have the advantage of being exquisitely sensitive. On
the other hand, isotope detection systems are expensive. This expense, combined with the
hazards of radioactivity and the need to dispose of radioactive material in a safe manner, has
ensured that radioimmunoassay is only used when highly sensitive assays are required.

Immunofluorescence Assays:

Fluorescent dyes are commonly employed as labels in primary binding tests, the most
important being fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC). FITC is a yellow compound that can be
chemically linked to antibodies without affecting their reactivity. FITC-labeled antibodies are
used in the direct and indirect fluorescent antibody tests.

Direct Fluorescent Antibody Tests: Direct fluorescent antibody tests are used to identify the
presence of antigen in a tissue sample. Antibody directed against a specific antigen such as a
bacterium or virus is first labeled with FITC.

Indirect Fluorescent Antibody Tests: Indirect fluorescent antibody tests can be used to
measure antibodies in serum or to identify specific antigens in tissues or cell cultures. When
measuring antibody levels, antigen is employed as a tissue smear, section, or cell culture on
a slide or coverslip.

The indirect fluorescent antibody test has two advantages over the direct technique. Since
several labeled antiglobulin molecules will bind to each antibody molecule, the fluorescence
will be considerably brighter than in the direct test. Similarly, by using antiglobulins specific
for each immunoglobulin class, the class of the specific antibody may also be determined.
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DISEASES THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN NEWS

1. Corona Virus Disease

2. Hanta Virus Disease

3. Kyasanur forest disease

4. Yellow Fever

5. Swine Flu

6. CANINE DISTEMPER VIRUS (CDV)

7. Rota Virus Disease

8. Zika

9. Ebola

10. Nipah

11. Measles- Rubella

12. Lymphatic Filariasis

13. Japanese Encephalitis

14. Leptospirosis

15. H9N2

1. Corona virus-

Characteristic Description

Caused by SARS CoV-2

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Spread by Inconclusive – (Bats, sea food, etc.)

Symptoms Cough, fever, severe pneumonia

Diagnosis RT-PCR

Vaccine Available No- under trails

Additional Information WHO declared it as pandemic

2. Hanta virus

Characteristic Description

Caused by Orthohanta virus

Spread by Urine, droppings, saliva of rodents

Symptoms hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome

Diagnosis RT- PCR

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Vaccine Available Yes- Hanta Virus Vaccine

Additional Information The virus does not spread from person-to-person.

The virus is not airborne.

3. Kyasanur forest disease (KFD)

Characteristic Description

Caused by kyasanur forest disease virus (KFDV).

Spread by Rodents, shrews and monkeys through virus infected ticks

Symptoms Fever and headache, Sever muscle pain with vomiting,

gastrointestinal symptoms and bleeding problem, Abnormal BP and
low platelets, RBC, WBC count

Diagnosis PCR Test

Vaccine No
Available
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Additional Spreads during summer season

Information
Hunters , Herders and farmers are vulnerable to this.

Person to person transmission has not been observed.

Fig: Kyasanur Forest Disease

Zoonosis (as defined by WHO)

✓ A zoonosis is any disease or infection that is naturally transmissible from vertebrate
animals to humans.
✓ Animals thus play an essential role in maintaining zoonotic infections in nature.
Zoonoses may be bacterial, viral, or parasitic, or may involve unconventional agents
Epizootic disease
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✓ Epizootic is a disease event in a nonhuman animal population, analogous to an

epidemic in humans.
✓ An epizootic may be: restricted to a specific locale (an "outbreak"), general (an
"epizootic"), or widespread ("panzootic").

4. Yellow Fever

Characteristic Description

Caused by Yellow fever virus

Spread by Aedes aegypti Mosquitos

Symptoms Fever, Headache., Muscle aches, particularly in your back and knees.,
Sensitivity to light., Nausea, vomiting or both., Dizziness.

Diagnosis ELISA test

Vaccine Available Yes

Additional Eyes turn yellow , so the name yellow fever

Information
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5. Swine Flu

Characteristic Description

Caused by Influenza viruses H1N1 and H3N2

Spread by Pigs

Symptoms Fever, lethargy, difficulty in breathing

Diagnosis Real time PCR

Vaccine Available Yes

Additional Information

6. CANINE DISTEMPER VIRUS (CDV)

Characteristic Description

Caused by CDV

Spread by In animals
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Symptoms -

Diagnosis PCR and ELISA tets

Vaccine Available No

Additional CDV is considered dangerous virus and is blamed for wiping out 30%
Information population of African lions in east African forests.

7. Rotavirus Disease

Characteristic Description

Caused by Rota virus

Spread by Water contamination- Faecal-oral route, contact with

contaminated hands, surfaces and objects, and possibly by the
respiratory route

Symptoms Fever, nausea, and vomiting, abdominal cramps and frequent

watery diarrhoea.

Diagnosis Stool test

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Vaccine Available Yes- Rota Virus Vaccine

Additional Leading cause of severe diarrhoea and death among children less
Information than five years of age.

8. ZIKA VIRUS

Characteristic Description

Caused by Zika Virus (Flaviviridae Virus group)

Spread by Ades agyepti Mosquitos

Symptoms Fever, rashes, joint pain, red eyes, loss of appetite – (Similar to Dengue-
Confusion)

Diagnosis RT- PCR

Vaccine No
Available
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Additional Pregnant women infected with zika virus may give birth to babies with
Information severe brain damage or serious birth defects, i.e, neurological disorders and
foetal deformation know as Microcephaly in which infants are born with
abnormally smaller heads.

9. EBOLA

Characteristic Description

Caused by Ebola Virus

Spread by Close contact with blood, secretions, organs and other body fluids.

Symptoms abrupt fever, fatigue, muscle pain and headache.

Diarrhea, rash, impaired kidney and liver functions.

Diagnosis ELISA

Antigen detection test .

Serum neutralization tests.

RT-PCR assay.

Electron microscopy.

Vaccine Available No

Additional
Information
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10. NIPAH VIRUS (NiV)

Characteristic Description

Caused by Nipah Virus

Spread by It is transmitted through direct contact with infected bats, pigs.

Human to human transmission is also reported through air

droplets.

Symptoms Illness with fever and headache, Drowsiness and mental confusion,
Infection to acute respiratory syndrome and fatal encephalitis

Diagnosis PCR test

Vaccine Available No

Additional Bats are natural hosts of Nipah

Information

11. MEASLES-RUBELLA

✓ Contagious air-borne infection of the respiratory tract.

✓ Caused by a virus in the paramyxovirus family.
✓ Can spread through direct contact or coughing, sneezing etc.

12. Lymphatic Filariasis (lF)

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✓ LF is commonly known as Elephantiasis. It is one of oldest and most debilitating

neglected tropical disease, which is currently endemic in 73 countries including India.
✓ LF disease is caused mainly by Wucheria Bancrofti and spread by Culex mosquito.
✓ Poor sanitation, water and hygiene are some reasons for spread.
✓ LF does not kill affected person, but may cause permanent disfigurement, reduced
productivity and social stigma.
✓ Global Alliance to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GAELF)
✓ GAELF is an alliance of partners from 72 LF endemic national country programmes,
NGO’s, private sectors, academic and research institutes and international
development agencies that assists WHO’s Global programme to eliminate
Lymphatic Filariasis. It was formed in 2001, since then it is being held biennially.

13. JAPENESE ENCEPHALIYIS (JE)

Characteristic Description

Caused by JE is mosquito borne flavivirus. It belongs to same genus as dengue,

yellow fever and west Nile virus.

Spread by Mosquitos

Symptoms Mild fever and headache or without apparent symptoms

Diagnosis Blood and cerebral fluid testing

Vaccine Yes- JE Vaccine

Available
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Additional JE primarily affects children. Most adults in endemic countries have

Information natural immunity after childhood infection, but individuals of any age
may be affected.

14. Leptospirosis

✓ Leptospirosis is an emerging tropical infectious bacterial disease that affects humans

and animals. It caused by corkscrew-shaped bacteria called Leptospira.
✓ The bacteria can be transmitted via exposure to contaminated water or soil or direct
contact with reservoirs hosts like wild or domestic animals.
✓ In humans it can be cause a wide range of symptoms such as mild headaches, muscle
pains and severe fevers with bleeding from lungs or meningitis.
✓ Currently there is no prevention vaccine for humans.

15. H9N2 virus

✓ Indian scientists have detected the country‘s first case of infection with a rare variant of
the virus that causes avian influenza, or bird flu.
✓ In the December 2019 issue of the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal of the US Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), scientists of the National Institute of Virology
(NIV), Pune, have reported avian influenza A(H9N2) virus infection in a 17-month-old boy
in Maharashtra.
✓ H9N2 is a subtype of the influenza A virus, which causes human influenza as well as bird
flu.
✓ The H9N2 subtype was isolated for the first time in Wisconsin, US in 1966 from turkey
flocks.
✓ According to the US National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), H9N2 viruses
are found worldwide in wild birds and are endemic in poultry in many areas.
✓ H9N2 virus infections in humans are rare, but likely under-reported due to typically mild
symptoms of the infections
S&T Notes by DMR

16. Swine flu

Characteristic Description

Caused by Swine Flu – H1N1, H3N2V

Spread by Contact through Pigs

Symptoms Fever, lethargy, difficulty in breathing, sneezing, coughing

Diagnosis Real time PCR

Vaccine Available Yes

Additional Information In Severe cases it can lead to death

In 2009, Swine flu was declared as pandemic by the WHO

S&T Notes by DMR
S&T Notes by DMR

Government of India initiatives in News

1. MERA India Initiative

2. New Influenza Research Program

3. Eat Right Movement

4. Arogya Setu App

1. MERA India Initiative

✓ Launched by ICMR to eliminate malaria by 2030

✓ Malaria Elimination Research Alliance (MERA) India’ – a conglomeration of partners
working on malaria control – in order to prioritise, plan and scale up research to
eliminate the disease from India by 2030
✓ Malaria is the most deadly vector-borne disease.
✓ Malaria is caused by a Plasmodium Parasites that is transmitted from one human to
another by the bite of infected Anopheles mosquitoes.

THE INDIA HEALTH FUND

✓ To eradicate tuberculosis (TB) by 2025 and malaria by 2030bfrom India.
✓ It a collaborative initiative by the Tata Trusts and theGlobal Fund
S&T Notes by DMR

E-2020 INITIATIVE- It is part of the Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016- 2030
endorsed by WHO.

2. New Influenza Research Programme

✓ Indian and European Union collaborated for new influenza research programme to
develop Next Generation Influenza Vaccine.
✓ The programme will get fund under EU funding programme for research and
innovation called 'Horizon 2020'.

3. Eat Right Movement

✓ Launched by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)

✓ SAI has prescribed a limit for Total Polar Compounds (TPC) at 25% in cooking oil to
avoid the harmful effects of reused cooking oil.
✓ The movement aims to cut down salt/sugar and oil consumption by 30% in three
years.
✓ It also aims to engage and enable citizens to improve their health and well-being by
making the right food choices

4. Arogya Setu APP

✓ National Informatics Center operating under Ministry of Electronics and Information

Technology has developed an application “Arogya Sethu”
✓ The app alerts the person whenever he comes in contact within six feet of COVID-19
infected person.
✓ The application is available in 11 languages.