DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS

Recently, the world’s 1^st vaccine for chikungunya was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S.A.

• It is a ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus that belongs to the alphavirus genus of the family Togaviridae.

Chikungunya outbreak was 1^st recognized in 1952 in southern Tanzania.

• Transmission to humans – By the bites of infected female ‘Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes’.

CHIKV has been described as ‘an emerging global health threat’ and since 2004, the frequency and spread of outbreak increased, partly due to viral adaptations to be spread more easily by the Aedes albopictus mosquitoes.

• Geographical spread – It has now been identified in over 110 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.
• Symptoms – Primarily severe joint pain, impaired mobility with fever and also includes muscle pain, nausea, and rash.
• Severe symptoms and deaths from chikungunya are rare and usually related to other coexisting health problems.
• Treatment - As of now, there is no cure, only symptomatic relief, with analgesics to help with the pain, antipyretics for the fever, rest, and adequate fluids.
• Prevention - Mosquito control activities like preventing mosquito’s breeding and mosquito bites.

Vaccine for Chikungunya

• Manufacturer – It has been developed by European vaccine manufacturer and to be branded as Ixchiq.
• It has been approved for administration in people who are 18 years or older, and are at increased risk of exposure to the virus.

The creation a cloned voice of anyone holds significant implications as India approach the upcoming elections, a period particularly susceptible to the proliferation of misinformation.

• A deep fake audio is one that closely mimics a real person’s voice.
• Technology – It particularly uses deep learning algorithms, a form of generative AI.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)refers to the capability of AI-enabled machines to use existing text, audio files, or images to create new content.

• Aim – To generate synthetic or manipulated voice recordings that mimic the voice of a specific individual.
• Prerequisite – A laptop with a good internet connection and the audio clip of the person whose voice you wish to clone.

The website covers.ai and other online tools like play.ht and Eleven Labs can be used to create AI voice clones easily.

• Threat – It is now possible to create highly realistic and convincing audio forgeries.
• It can produce misinformation at a significantly faster rate compared to the time required by fact checkers to debunk it
• Control measures – Digitally signed videos can be a way to verify that content can be trusted.
• Advancing the development of AI voice clone detectors and promoting its active usage.
• Cracking down social media platforms to control the spread.

Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) sent an advisory to social media companies urging them to tackle deep-fake content.

AI Voice Clones in Politics

• It could sway electoral power.
• Motive - To personalise the messaging like a call or message from a national leader addressing local concerns in local languages.
• To show a leader of the other party in bad light.
• Impact - Even a short 10 second clip would be enough to whip up sectarian divides to polarise elections to the advantage of communal forces.

• The Silkyara tunnel connects the villages of Silkyara and Dandalgaonin in Uttarakhand.
• It is part of the Chardham project of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
• The tunnel aims to reduce the distance between 2 major pilgrim sites Yamunotri and Gangotri in Uttarakhand.

The tunnel collapsed recently trapping at least 40 workers inside.

• Nayi Chetna – 2.0 is a gender campaign that aims to eradicate violence against women and advance the rights of women and gender-diverse individuals.
• The campaign was launched by the Ministry of Rural Development on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

The campaign is led by Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) and launched in all states under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission, supported by 9 ministries.

• Operation 1027 is a joint military operation by the 3 brotherhood alliance - Ta’ang National Liberation Army, (TNLA) the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and the Arakan Army.
• Its goal is to combat the Myanmar Junta’s armed forces and allied militias in northern Shan State, close to the Myanmar-China border.

The operation, titled after the date of its commencement - Oct. 27. The violence has forced people to flee to Mizoram in India.