DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS

Vector Borne diseases are the illness caused by the vectors. A vector is a carrier of the causative microbe for various diseases such as mosquitoes, ticks and fleas. The reproduction rates of vectors are influenced by climate and weather. Such diseases are widespread and found throughout the world.

More than 700,000 patients die of vector-borne diseases. The major vector-borne diseases constitute about 17% of the infectious diseases in the world. The poorest populations of the tropical and the sub-tropical regions are highly affected by such diseases. Malaria is perhaps the best-known vector-borne diseases in the world. Let us have a look at the different vectors and the diseases spread by them.

Types of Disease Vectors

Vector-borne Diseases in India

Around 2 million malaria cases are recorded every year in India. Most of the rural areas in the country are prone to Malaria. The regions of Orrisa, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Chattisgarh have many cases of malariaevery year. The World Bank Supported Vector-borne disease Control Project to be implemented in most of the endemic states. It will help the Government to prevent and treat malaria in the poorest regions. This project uses advanced technologies and medicines for the prevention of Malaria.

Prevention of Vector-borne Diseases

Vector-Borne diseases can be prevented in the following ways:

• Vaccines should be developed for protection against disease-causing viruses.
• Insect repellants such as DEET or Permethrin can be applied to the skin and clothes respectively.
• Tick checks should be performed after exposure to dogs, cats, cattle, and mice.
• Use nets while sleeping to protect against mosquitoes.
• Wash and dry clothes after an outdoor visit for a long time.
• Remove leaf litters and woodpiles from the surroundings.
• Do not let stagnant water accumulate in the surroundings.
• Use disinfectants to control infections caused by pests.

National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme

The National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) is an umbrella organisation for the prevention and control of the following six vector borne diseases – malaria, chikungunya, Japanese encephalitis, dengue, kala – azar and lymphatic filariasis. The agency is headquartered in New Delhi, India. The directorate of the NVBDCP provides the states with cash and commodities to implement policies for curbing these diseases.

World Elephant Day, observed globally on August 12, is a dedicated observance aimed at raising awareness about the critical challenges confronting elephants and advocating for their protection and conservation.

This significant day provides a platform to emphasize the issues elephants face, encompassing habitat loss, ivory poaching, human-elephant conflicts, and the imperative for enhanced conservation endeavours.

Historical Perspective:

1. The campaign World Elephant Day was initiated in 2012 to bring awareness to the disturbing situations of African and Asian elephants.The objective of this campaign is to create a sustainable environment where animals are not exploited and taken care of.
2. It was first observed by Canadian filmmakers Michael Clark and Patricia Sims with the Thailand-based Elephant Reintroduction Foundation. In 2012, Patricia Sims founded an organization called the World Elephant Society.
3. The organization has succeeded to create awareness about the dangers confronted by elephants and the inevitability to protect them globally.

Key Highlights of Elephants?

Elephant is the Natural HeritageAnimal of India.Elephants are considered a "Keystone Species" as they play a critical role in maintaining the balance and health of forest ecosystems.

They are known for their exceptional intelligence, boasting the largest brain size of any land animal.

Significance in Ecosystem:

Elephants are very important grazers and browsers, eating vast amounts of vegetation every day, spreading seeds around as they go.

They also help shape the often-thick vegetation of the Asian landscape.For example, in forests, elephants create clearings and gaps in the trees that let sunlight in to reach new seedlings, helping plants grow and the forest to regenerate naturally.

Elephants will also dig for water when there is not any surface water – opening water access for other creatures as well as themselves.

Elephants in India:

• • India has the largest number of wild Asian Elephants, estimated at 29,964 according to the 2017 census by Project Elephant.It is about 60% of the species’ global population.
  • Karnataka has the highest number of elephants, followed by Assam and Kerala.

Conservation Status:

• • International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of threatened species:
    • African Forest Elephant (Loxodonta Cyclotis)- Critically Endangered
    • African Savanna Elephant (Loxodonta Africana)- Endangered
    • Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus)- Endangered
  • Convention of the Migratory species (CMS):
    • African Forest Elephant: Appendix II
    • Asian Elephant: Appendix I
  • Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
  • Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES):
    • African Savanna Elephant: Appendix II
    • Asian Elephant: Appendix I

Initiatives and Accomplishments in India's Elephant Conservation Journey?

• Addressing Elephant-Human Conflict:
  • Establishment of over 40 elephant corridors and 88 wildlife crossings to reduce conflicts.
  • Creation of buffer zones around protected areas covering more than 17,000 sq. km.
• Project Elephant:
  • Launched in 1992, covering 23 states across India.
  • Improved the status of wild elephants, with a population increase from about 25,000 in 1992 to around 30,000 in 2021.
• Elephant Reserves:
  • Establishment of 33 Elephant Reserves covering approximately 80,777 Sq.km.
  • These reserves play a crucial role in safeguarding wild elephant populations and their habitats.
• Human-Elephant Conflict Management:
  • Rapid response teams deployed in various states to handle conflict situations.
  • Around 110 critical stretches across the railway network in the country that traverse through elephant habitats have been identified for the implementation of eco-friendly measures to mitigate human-elephant conflicts.In these locations measures such as building underpasses, clearing vegetation along the tracks to increase visibility for the loco pilots to avoid collisions, provisioning ramps, and others will also be taken up.
• Community Participation and Empowerment:
  • Gaj Yatra program and Gaj Shilpi initiative involving people to raise awareness about elephant conservation.
• Recognition of Exemplary Efforts:
  • Conferment of Gaj Gaurav awards individuals and organizations for their exemplary contributions in the field of elephant conservation and management.
• International Agreements and Protocols:
  • Participation in international conferences like the Conference of Parties under CITES.
  • Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) Programme - The MIKE Programme was established by the CITES by Resolution 10.10 adopted at the tenth Conference of the Parties in 1997.
    • The MIKE program started in South Asia in the year 2003 with the following purpose:
      • To provide information needed for elephant range States to make appropriate management and enforcement decisions, and to build institutional capacity within the range States for the long-term management of their elephant populations.
    • Mike Sites in India:
      • Chirang-Ripu Elephant Reserve (Assam)
      • Deomali Elephant Reserve ( Arunachal Pradesh )
      • Dihing Patkai Elephant Reserve ( Assam )
      • Garo Hills Elephant Reserve ( Meghalaya )
      • Eastern Dooars Elephant Reserve ( West Bengal )
      • Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve ( Odisha )
      • Shivalik Elephant Reserve (Uttarakhand )
      • Mysore Elephant Reserve ( Karnataka )
      • Nilgiri Elephant Reserve ( Tamil Nadu)
      • Wayanad Elephant Reserve ( Kerala)

According to the recent Elephant Death Audit Framework, electrocution major cause of elephant deaths in Tamil Nadu.

Initiative by – State of Tamil Nadu. This is the 1^st of its kind initiative in the country.

Objectives – Prescribe a Systematic Standard Protocol (SSP) for conducting post-mortem to determine cause of death and understand the cases of preventable and unnatural deaths.Formulate remedial measures for prevention of unnatural and preventive deaths by conducting periodical death audits and monitoring these over time.

EDAF

• Mortality – 1,505 elephant deaths have been recorded since 2010, and 159 of them, or 10.5% of all mortalities, were caused by humans or human-related activities
• Primary threat - 802 deaths were due to diseases, followed by electrocution.

• Electrocution – It is an unnatural causes that were behind more than one in every 10 elephant deaths.
• Since 2010, 128 animals have died of electrocution with 76 cases of electrocution being “intentional” which occurred as the result of negative interactions with humans.
• Other unnatural causes – Poaching, poisoning, gunshots as well as train and road accidents.
• 158 carcasses were deemed to be unfit for post-mortem which means the cause of death was unlikely to be ascertained.

India is home to over two-thirds of the World’s Asian elephant population with only about 20% of their range is inside protected areas.

According to the recent United Nations (UN) report, 2023 is set to be the hottest year ever recorded.

Published by – World Meteorological Organisation. The final report is due to be published in the 1^st half of 2024.

• Climate chaos – In 2023, Green House Gas (GHG) levels, global temperatures, sea level rise reached record high, while Antarctic sea ice reached record low.
• Higher GHGs – Concentrations of the 3 main heat-trapping gases (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) reached record high.
• Higher global temperature – This year, till October 2023, was already around 1.4C above the pre-industrial baseline.
• CO2 levels was 50% higher than the pre-industrial era and the past 9 years were the hottest years since modern records.
• The warming El Nino weather phenomenon, which emerged mid-year, was "likely to further fuel the heat in 2024".
• Higher sea level rise – The rate of sea level rise over the past decade was more than twice the rate of the 1^st decade of satellite records (1993-2002).
• Lesser Antarctic sea ice - The maximum level of Antarctic sea ice this year was the lowest on record which was a million square kilometres less than the previous record low at the end of the southern hemisphere winter.Swiss glaciers losing 10% of their ice volume in the past 2 years alone
• Increasing socio-economic impacts – Dwindling food security and mass displacement.

• Ministry of Jal Shakti to Organize ‘Jal Itihas Utsav’ at Shamsi Talab, Jahaz Mahal in Mehrauli, Delhi recently.

Aim - To raise public consciousness about safeguarding water heritage sites, creating a sense of ownership among the masses as well as promote tourism and restoration of such heritage structures.

• HD 110067 is a star with 6 known sub-Neptune exoplanets.
• The star is located in the constellation Coma Berenices, which is near Virgo in the northern sky. It is about 100 light-years away from Earth.
• The 6 planets in HD 110067 orbit the star in a rhythmic pattern. The planets form a "resonant chain" in successive pairs of 3:2, 3:2, 3:2, 4:3, and 4:3.

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) detected the star's brightness dipping in 2020. This indicated that planets were passing in front of the star.

• Exercise Milan is a biennial naval exercise hosted by the Indian Navy. The exercise includes Professional exercises, Seminars, Social events, Sporting fixtures.
• The Indian Navy 1^st held the exercise in 1995, and has since significantly expanded in scope and scale to become the largest exercise held by India.
• The last edition of Milan, which is held off Visakhapatnam, saw participation from over 40 countries.

The exercise was originally conceived in line with India's "Look East Policy".

• India has the biggest burden of deaths due to snakebites in the world, with most of the cases in rural India.
• Avoidable Deaths Network (ADN) has set up a hub in an Odisha village to look into lifesaving solutions for snakebites.
• ADN is a global membership network working on avoiding human deaths from natural hazards.

In 2015, India ratified the WHO’s Snakebite Envenoming Strategy for Prevention and Control, along with UN’ Sendai Framework for halving the deaths by 2030.

• The Maski rock edict is a minor rock edict of Emperor Ashoka.
• It was discovered in 1915 by C. Beadon at the archaeological site of Maski in the Raichur district of Karnataka, India.

The Maski rock edict is important because it was the 1^st edict of Emperor Ashoka to include his name. Earlier edicts referred to him as Devanampiye Piyadasi.

• Sri Lanka has recently reached an “agreement in principle” with India and the Paris Club group of creditors including Japan, on a debt treatment plan.
• The Paris Club is an informal group of creditor nations that work to find sustainable solutions for debtor countries that are unable to repay their bilateral loans.
• The Paris Club has 22 permanent members which have originated from a 1956 meeting in which Argentina agreed to meet its public creditors in Paris.

India is not a member to this club. The Paris Club usually coincides with the IMF program period.