UPSC Daily Quiz | 19 October 2024

Relevance: To contain the diphtheria outbreak in Deeg district of Rajasthan, teams of the state health department and World Health Organization (WHO) have landed in the district and started vaccination.

Explanation:

• Diphtheria is a serious contagious bacterial infection of the nose and throat. 

• It is caused by strains of bacteria called Corynebacterium diphtheriae that make a toxin.
• It can spread from person to person, usually through respiratory droplets, like from coughing or sneezing. 
• People can also get sick from touching infected open sores or ulcers.
• The bacteria can also infect the skin, causing open sores or ulcers. However, diphtheria skin infections rarely result in severe disease.
• Although diphtheria can be treated with medications, in advanced stages, the bacterial infection can damage the heart, kidneys and nervous system.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

Subject: Current Affairs | S&T

Level of Difficulty: Easy | Factual

Relevance: Recently, Mumbai court ordered for an ossification test to determine whether one of the persons accused in the murder case of a political leader is a minor or not.

Explanation:

Ossification Test 

• An ossification test is a medical procedure that analyses bones in order to determine age.
• This test involves taking x-rays of certain bones in the body, such as the clavicle, sternum, and pelvis, to determine the degree of growth in our bones.
• Because certain bones harden and fuse with each other at certain ages according to a human's developmental stage, the bones can be a way of marking age.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

Subject: Current Affairs | S&T

Level of Difficulty: Easy | Factual

Relevance: Nihon Hidankyo has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2024.

Explanation:

• Nihon Hidankyo, the organisation that worked for the welfare of the survivors of the 1945 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki—called the hibakusha—has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2024.

• Hibakusha is the Japanese word for survivors of the 1945 atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 
• On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped the Little Boy atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.
• Three days later, the US dropped a second atomic bomb, known as Fat Man, on Nagasaki, Japan.
• By the end of 1945, more than 200,000 people died as a direct result of these bombings. 

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

Subject: Current Affairs | Miscellaneous

Level of Difficulty: Easy | Factual

Relevance: World Food Day is celebrated annually on October 16 across the globe to honour the establishment of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Explanation:

Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)

• It is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. It is the oldest permanent specialized agency of the UN, established in October 1945. (Hence, statement 1 is correct)
• Its mandate is to improve nutrition, increase agricultural productivity, raise the standard of living in rural populations, and contribute to global economic growth.
• The FAO coordinates the efforts of governments and technical agencies in programs for developing agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and land and water resources.
• FAO’s headquarters are in Rome, Italy, not Geneva, Switzerland. (Hence, statement 2 is not correct)
• It currently has 194 Member States plus the European Union (member organization). FAO receives 100 percent of its funding from its member countries.
• In case of scarcity or conflict, the FAO usually does not intervene directly with food relief operations. Within the UN system, these activities are generally entrusted to the World Food Program. (Hence, statement 3 is not correct)
• The State of the World's Forests (SOFO), The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA), The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets (SOCO), The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI). (Hence, statement 4 is correct)

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

Subject: Current Affairs | IR

Level of Difficulty: Moderate | Factual