THE GEOGRAPHY: CLIMATOLOGY

1. IDMC-ADB REPORT: SOUTHWEST MONSOON LASTING LONGER, DISPLACING MILLIONS IN SOUTH ASIA

THE CONTEXT: The recently released joint report of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) raised concerns regarding long southwest monsoon causing large-scale displacement of masses in South Asia.
THE EXPLANATION:
• The report found that southwest monsoon is lasting longer than its season and overlapping with the northeast monsoon, causing more severe downpour, flooding and storms in South Asia.
• While the southwest monsoon reached the peninsular India on time, it had stayed beyond seasonal boundary of September.
• In 2021, it had lasted until October, overlapping with the northeast monsoon
• This report assessed the forced movement within a country boundary and displacement due to natural disasters during the period of 2010-21.
• It found that disasters displaced about 61.4 million people in south Asia during this period. of this, 58.6 million were displaced because of weather-related disasters.
• Floods and storms caused about 90 per cent of the total displacement.
• Floods caused the displacement of 37.4 million and storm, including major tropical cyclones, caused 21 million internal displacements.
• El Nino Southern Oscillation variation has played a major role in the increased instances of flooding and storms.
• Climate change is also causing prolonged and unpredictable monsoon seasons.
• In the overall Asia-Pacific region, about 225 million individuals were displaced during the 2010-2021 period.
• This means that nearly 19 million people were displaced because of disaster each year.
• This is more than 75 per cent of the total global figure on displacement.
• 95 per cent of all disaster displacements in Asia Pacific are caused by monsoon rains, floods and storms.
• The disaster displacement risks are mainly worsened by rapid urbanization, socioeconomic vulnerability and population growth in hazard-prone areas.
About IDMC
Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) is an international non-governmental organization based in Geneva, Switzerland. It was established in 1998 by the Norwegian Refugee Council – a humanitarian NGO that works towards protecting rights of people who are displaced.

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

2. 77th SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

THE CONTEXT: The 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA77) opened on September 13 and will include a high-level debate organized from September 20 to 26 this year.
THE EXPLANATION:
• The theme of the UNGA 77 is “A watershed moment: transformative solutions to interlocking challenges”.
• The theme recognizes the shared roots of global crisis like COVID-19, climate change and conflict and highlights the importance of building global sustainability and resilience.
• The event is being organized at the UN Headquarters in New York.
• Discussions will be held among the world leaders on crisis in Ukraine, climate change, food security, access to education and gender equality.
• All 193 UN members will be represented at this event.
• Brazil will be the first UN member state to speak at the annual general debate. It has remained the first speaker for nearly 7 decades since the 10th UNGA in 1955.
• The US, which will host the event, will be the second member state to speak.
• After the first two speeches, the speaking order is set based on the factors like level of representation, the rank of the representatives, preferences and geographical balance.
About UNGA
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is the United Nations’ main policy-making and representative organ. It was set up in 1945. It meets every year between September and December and again between January and August. Each of the 193 UN member states has an equal vote at the General Assembly, where important decisions of the United Nations take place, like appointment of the UN Secretary General, approval of the UN Budget and electing non-permanent members to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). It also adopts resolutions to make recommendations. However, these resolutions are not enforceable.

3. INDIA’S PRESIDENCY OF AIBD EXTENDED FOR ONE YEAR

THE CONTEXT: The Asia-pacific Institute of Broadcasting Development (AIBD) has unanimously extended India’s presidency for one more year.
THE EXPLANATION:
• The member countries of the AIBD have decided to extend India’s presidency at the two-day General Conference of the Institute that was held in New Delhi.
• The General Conference of the AIBD was inaugurated by the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Youth Affairs and Sports.
• It was organized from September 19 to 20 this year.
• The conference focused on theme “Building a Stronger Future of Broadcasting in post pandemic era”.
• During the event, all participating countries and member broadcasters have committed to work together for creating sustainable broadcasting environment, promoting latest technology know-how, quality content creation and various cooperative activities.
• A five-year plan for cooperative activities and exchanges programmes were finalized during the conference.
About AIBD
• The Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) was set up in 1977 with the support from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). It is a regional intergovernmental organization that brings together countries of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) to collaborate in the field of electronic media development.
• Its objective is to achieve a vibrant and cohesive electronic media environment in the Asia Pacific region through policy formulation and resource development. It currently has 26 countries that are full members. These countries are represented by 43 organizations and 52 affiliate members.
VALUE ADDITION:
UN-ESCAP
The UN-ESCAP is one of the five regional commissions of the UN Economic and Social Council. It was established in 1947 to boost economic relationship between countries in Asia and the Far East as well as other regions across the globe. It currently has 53 member states and 9 associate members, mostly from Asia and Pacific. It also includes countries such as France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

4. RBI ASKS LARGE UCBS TO SET UP BOARD-APPROVED POLICY, COMPLIANCE FUNCTION

THE CONTEXT: The RBI has directed urban cooperative banks (UCBs) belonging to tier 3 and tier 4 categories to create a Board-approved policy and compliance function.
THE EXPLANATION:
• The central bank has asked the urban cooperative banks with more than Rs.10,000 crore deposits (tier 4 category) to create a board-approved compliance policy and a compliance function, including the appointment of a Chief Compliance Officer (CCO), by April 1, 2023.
• Tier 3 UCBs i.e., those having more than Rs.1,000 crore and up to Rs.10,000 crore deposits are given the deadline of October 1,2023.
• The board approved Compliance Policy should give clear outline on the implementation of compliance philosophy, expectations on compliance culture, structure and role of the Compliance Function, the role of the CCO and the processes for the identification, assessment, monitoring, management and reporting on the compliance risk.
• The framework requires the Senior Management of these UCBs to undertake Compliance Risk Assessment every year.
• It also mandates the setting up of the Compliance Function, which shall ensure strict observance of all statutory and regulatory requirements for the UCBs, including standards of conduct, management of conflict of interest, fair treatment of customers and providing suitable customer service.
• While the organizational structure of the Compliance Function can be chosen by the UCBs, it should be independent and well-resourced. Its operations must be regularly reviewed by an independent entity.
Who is CCO?
The Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) would head the Compliance Department. The tenure of the CCO should last for at least 3 years. He/she will directly report to the MD and CEO and/or Board or Board Committee. The CCO will have the authority to communicate with any staff member and access all records or files required to undertake the entrusted responsibilities with regards to compliance risks.

THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

5. INSIGHT LANDER DETECTS SPACE ROCKS HITTING MARS

THE CONTEXT: NASA’s InSight lander has detected seismic and acoustic waves caused by the impact of four meteoroids and found the location of the craters left by these space rocks.
THE EXPLANATION:
• For the first time, scientists were able to calculate the locations of craters left by meteoroids on the Martian surface based on seismic and acoustic waves.
• The researchers confirmed the calculations made by InSight Lander using the NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
• The recent seismic measurements provide a new tool for the better investigation of the Mars and other planets where seismometer can be landed.
• One of the space rocks detected by the InSight Lander hit the Martian surface in 2020 and the rest landed in 2021. They have left craters of up to 7.2 meters wide.
• They landed between 85 km and 290 km from the InSight’s location.
• Mars is close to the solar system’s asteroid belt, which makes it highly vulnerable to impacts by space rocks.
• Its atmosphere is just 1 percent as thick as Earth’s. Hence, meteoroids pass through it without disintegrating unlike when they pass through the Earth’s atmosphere.
• However, this is the first time that InSight captured the sound of the space rock hitting the Red Planet.
• According to researchers, the past impacts may have been undetected because of the noise from wind or by seasonal changes in the atmosphere.
• It is possible that more such seismic and acoustic waves may be hidden within the lander’s nearly four years of data.
About InSight Mission
The Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) mission is a robotic lander that aims to study the deep interior of the Red Planet. This three-legged instrument landed on the Martian surface in 2018 on a vast and relatively plain surface north of the Martian equator called Elysium Planitia.

6. NASA’S PERSEVERANCE FINDS ORGANIC MATTER ON MARS

THE CONTEXT: The Perseverance Rover has collected samples having high concentration of organic matter from the Martian surface.
THE EXPLANATION:
• The Perseverance Rover has collected several organic rock samples from an ancient river delta on Mars.
• These samples are currently stored for collection by future Mars missions that would return them back to the Earth.
• These rock samples have large concentration of organic matter, the highest concentration since the start of the mission.
• With the latest collection, the rover has now collected a total of 12 samples.
• One of the rocks the Perseverance collected was nicknamed as Wildcat Ridge. This rock was likely formed when mud and sand settled in a saltwater lake as it evaporated billions of years ago.
• An instrument aboard the rover called SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals) found that these samples contain a class of organic molecules that correlate with those of sulfate minerals.
• Sulfate minerals found in layers of sedimentary rock can provide insights into the watery environment on which the rock samples were discovered.
• The instrument’s analysis revealed that the organic materials may possibly be aromatics or stable molecules of carbon and hydrogen, which are connected to sulfates.
• This suggests that when the lake was evaporating, both sulfates and organic molecules deposited, preserved and concentrated in the region.
About Perseverance Rover
Perseverance Rover was launched as part of the NASA’s Mars Exploration Program. Its objective is to explore the Martian surface and detect the signs of past and present life on the planet. Its landing site is Jezero Crater.

VALUE ADDITION:
Jezero Crater
Jezero Crater spans across 45 km. it is a fan-shaped geological feature that is suspected to have hosted an ancient lake. It is believed that this site hosts evidences of Martian history in sedimentary rock, which formed when particles fused together in the previously water-filled environment.

1. There is no way to peace, peace is the way READ MORE
2. Understanding war through papacy & morality READ MORE
3. SWABHAVA IS CORE OF HUMAN NATURE READ MORE

1. The ‘triple dip’ La Niña, and its likely impact in India READ MORE
2. How climate change is fueling hurricanes READ MORE
3. Arrest climate change READ MORE

1. A better world: India and the world are now more congenial to women and their success READ MORE
2. Why a sensitive healthcare system is key to addressing the high suicide rate among India’s women READ MORE
3. Hijab row shows why we should see Muslim women’s rights through the dual lens of religion and gender READ MORE

1. Death penalty: Constitution Bench to bring clarity on sentencing READ MORE
2. CBI’s overreach: Top probe agency’s credibility is under a cloud READ MORE
3. Hijab row shows why we should see Muslim women’s rights through the dual lens of religion and gender READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Monsoon begins withdrawal from Rajasthan READ MORE
2. Grazing lands turning into buffer zones, says chief of village bordering LAC READ MORE
3. EWS quota does not erode rights of scheduled communities, OBCs: Centre tells Supreme Court READ MORE
4. After unrecognised parties, now EC takes on discrepancies in recognised parties’ statements READ MORE
5. RBI removes Central Bank of India from Prompt Corrective Action framework READ MORE
6. Earth just experienced its 6th-warmest August on record READ MORE
7. James Webb gets a close look at the Red Planet for the first time READ MORE
8. DPIIT planning multi-media campaign to promote over 400 GI products READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. The ‘triple dip’ La Niña, and its likely impact in India READ MORE
2. How climate change is fueling hurricanes READ MORE
3. A better world: India and the world are now more congenial to women and their success READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Death penalty: Constitution Bench to bring clarity on sentencing READ MORE
2. CBI’s overreach: Top probe agency’s credibility is under a cloud READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Why a sensitive healthcare system is key to addressing the high suicide rate among India’s women READ MORE
2. Hijab row shows why we should see Muslim women’s rights through the dual lens of religion and gender READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Christophe Jaffrelot writes: Weighing Quad against SCO READ MORE
2. SCO summit marred by mutual dissensions READ MORE
3. Dealing with the dragon READ MORE
4. Positioning India in a chaotic world: With old fashioned geo-political risks jostling alongside newer political challenges, India’s foreign policy planners need to refashion the way they look at issues READ MORE  

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Changing contours of India’s FTAs READ MORE
2. A better way out of bad loans READ MORE
3. Govt must take fresh look at gas pricing READ MORE
4. Fiscal federalism and hullabaloo around freebies READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Arrest climate change READ MORE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. Explained | What is lumpy skin disease in cattle? Does it affect milk we consume? READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. There is no way to peace, peace is the way READ MORE
2. Understanding war through papacy & morality READ MORE
3. SWABHAVA IS CORE OF HUMAN NATURE READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ‘A homogenous understanding of our rights is a disservice to the plurality of the Indian population’. Examine the statement in light of ongoing debate related to wearing the hijab.
2. Why is a sensitive healthcare system key to addressing the high suicide rate among India’s women? Discuss the statement in light of increasing trend of suicide case among women.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• In charting our course to the future, we are mindful of our path from the past.
• The case of school and college girls wearing the hijab should be looked at from a dual lens of religion and gender.
• Women’s rights are diverse; similarly Muslim women’s issues are diverse. A homogenous understanding of our rights is a disservice to the plurality of the Indian population.
• Healthcare facilities offer unique sites for interventions as they may be among the first places where women may report such abuse.
• The role of health system cannot be overemphasised in responding to immediate psychological needs of women facing domestic violence and preventing suicides.
• The World Bank can significantly contribute by increasing the target for the share of its financing for climate benefitting projects from 35 percent to at least 50 percent.
• The indomitable neighbour in China is testing India’s diplomacy and prowess; but we are found wanting on both as it goes all out to extract its pound of flesh.
• The progress in the SCO continues to be hampered by lack of connectivity and differences among its members on the issues of terrorism, territorial integrity, connectivity (transit rights between India and Pakistan for Afghanistan) and economic development.
• Export thrust. Along with greater trade cooperation and lower duties, new free trade agreements include digital trade.
• India may give up its strategic balancing of China and West if the Ukraine war weakens Russia and Moscow is unable to provide for its defence needs.

ESSAY TOPIC

• There is no way to peace, peace is the way.

50-WORD TALK

• The reopening of movie theatres in Kashmir, shuttered by jihadist violence in 1989, is a welcome step towards restoring normal life. Terrorists attacked theatres when they last reopened in 1998, and ensuring safety will be challenging. Oppressive security measures will be counterproductive, though, so a fine balance must be found.
• Russian President Putin acknowledged that China had some ‘concerns and questions’ over the Ukraine war and promised to answer them. China’s President Xi Jinping claimed that China had fulfilled its responsibility as a major country by ‘injecting stability into a turbulent world’. While maintaining the façade of their united front against the US, both Beijing and Moscow are quietly limiting each other’s influence in their backyard.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

[WpProQuiz 337]

The Context: The world, after a throbbing pandemic, is under the grasp of yet another zoonotic disaster called MonkeyPox. A recent study revealed that the rate of genetic changes in the monkeypox virus was higher than expected. In this article, we will analyse the ills of monkeypox and possible solutions from the UPSC perspective.

ABOUT THE MONKEYPOX VIRUS

MONKEYPOX

• Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals) with symptoms similar to those seen in the past in smallpox patients, although it is clinically less severe.
• With the eradication of smallpox in 1980 and the subsequent cessation of smallpox vaccination, monkeypox has emerged as the most important orthopoxvirus for public health.
• Monkeypox primarily occurs in central and west Africa, often in proximity to tropical rainforests, and has been increasingly appearing in urban areas. Animal hosts include a range of rodents and non-human primates.
• Ever since it was first reported in humans in 1970, monkeypox virus infections have been largely restricted to countries in Central and Eastern Africa until recently.

RECURRENCE OF MONKEYPOX

• Early in 2022, multiple cases were identified in Spain and several cases were reported from countries where the disease is not endemic, including regions in Europe and North America, and in patients with no history of travel to endemic regions.
• Following a rapid rise in cases, the World Health Organization (WHO), on July 23, 2022, declared the 2022 monkeypox outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
• As of early August 2022, over 25,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported from 83 countries, 76 of which have never historically reported monkeypox.

VIRUSES: A BASIC STUDY

DEFINITION

• A virus is an infectious microbe consisting of a segment of nucleic acid (either DNA or RNA) surrounded by a protein coat.
• Viruses are non-cellular organisms that are characterized by having an inert crystalline structure outside the living cell.

WORKING & FEATURES

• A virus cannot replicate alone; instead, it must infect cells and use components of the host cell to make copies of itself.
• Often, a virus ends up killing the host cell in the process, causing damage to the host organism. Well-known examples of viruses causing human disease include AIDS, COVID-19, measles and smallpox.
• In addition to proteins, viruses also contain genetic material, which could be either RNA or DNA.
• No virus contains both RNA & DNA.
• Viruses that infect plants have single-stranded RNA & Viruses that infect animals have either single or double-stranded RNA or double-stranded DNA.
• Bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) are usually double-stranded DNA viruses.

TYPES

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DNA AND RNA VIRUSES

• DNA viruses contain DNA as the genetic material while RNA viruses contain RNA as the genetic material. Some examples of DNA viruses are Herpes viruses, poxviruses, and hepatitis B.
• Generally, DNA genomes are larger than RNA genomes. Furthermore, most DNA viruses contain double-stranded DNA while most RNA viruses contain single-stranded RNA. Rhabdovirus, coronavirus, SARS, poliovirus, rhinovirus, hepatitis A virus, influenza virus, etc., are some examples of RNA viruses.

PROLIFERATING GENETIC MUTATIONS: THE EVOLUTION AND CONCERN

Recently, a team of researchers at the National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge in Portugal has found that the monkeypox virus has been evolving at a faster rate than expected.

KEY FINDINGS

• Scientists said the latest strain of monkeypox, once previously confined to parts of Africa, has about 50 genetic variations compared to related viruses that circulated in 2018-2019.
• They found the virus is continuing to evolve during the current outbreak, including a number of small changes in the genetic code, minor gene variants and a deleted gene.

LOOMING CONCERNS

• The monkeypox virus has a DNA genome of around 2,00,000 base pairs, roughly six times larger than that of SARS-CoV-2. Like other viruses, the monkeypox virus evolves by the accumulation of genetic errors, or mutations, in its genome when it replicates inside a host.
• Information about mutations occurring in different genome sequences of the monkeypox virus across different regions can, thus, provide essential insights into how the virus is evolving, its genetic diversity and other factors that may be relevant to the development of diagnostic tools.

RISKS OF PARALLEL EVOLUTION

• Being a DNA virus, the monkeypox virus, like other poxviruses, was believed to have a small rate of accumulating genetic changes compared to viruses with an RNA genome like SARS-CoV-2, which have a much larger rate of mutations. For poxviruses, this rate is estimated to be as low as a couple of genetic changes every year.
• A recent study, however, revealed that the observed rate of genetic changes in the virus was higher than the expected average of around 50 genetic changes.
• The higher-than-expected rate of evolution coupled with the rapid rise in monkeypox cases across the world could potentially be due to highly parallel evolution in a large number of individuals simultaneously, as the present outbreak came out of a super spreader event.

ASPECT OF APOBEC3 PROTEIN

• The researchers also suggest that several mutations that have been identified in the new sequences of the monkeypox virus may have emerged due to interaction between the virus genome and an important family of proteins coded by the human genome known as the Apolipoprotein B Editing Complex (or APOBEC3). These proteins offer protection against certain viral infections by editing the genome sequence of the virus while it replicates in the cell.
• Therefore, researchers suggest that many of the genetic mutations in the monkeypox genomes from the current outbreak are remnants of the effect of APOBEC3 and may not provide a significant evolutionary advantage to the virus.

POSSIBLE OUTREACH OF THE VIRUS

• Monkeypox virus can infect a range of hosts, including non-human primates and rodents, which could act as a natural reservoir. Infections in the reservoir could also enable continued transmission and accumulation of mutations before spilling over to cause human infections.

MONKEYPOX LINEAGES

• Clusters of genomes having common and shared mutations and a common origin are referred to as a lineage or clade. In the early 2000s, two different clades of monkeypox virus were defined in Africa, where several cases of the disease have been seen the Central African (Congo Basin) clade and the West African clade, of which the Congo Basin clade has been shown to be more transmissible and cause more severe disease.

HOW ARE LINEAGES OF VIRUSES NAMED?

• Since naming viral lineages using the country or geography of origin could be discriminatory and possibly not in the right spirit, a new system of naming monkeypox lineages has been proposed by researchers recently.
• Under the new proposed system, the Congo Basin clade is denoted as clade 1, while the West African clade is divided into clade 2 and clade 3.
• This new system will also describe sub-lineages of the virus, with the original parent lineage being denoted as lineage ‘A’, and its descendants as ‘A.1’, ‘A.1.1’, ‘A.2’, and ‘B.1’.
• Lineage B.1 denoted the current 2022 outbreak of monkeypox virus infections which is a descendant of the A.1.1 lineage.

SIGNIFICANCE OF LATEST MONKEYPOX OUTBREAK

UNDERSTANDING GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE VIRUS

• With several genome sequences of the monkeypox virus available in public databases, it is possible today to understand the prevalence of different lineages of the virus across different regions.
• Over 95% of the recently deposited genome sequences of the virus belong to the B.1 lineage of the monkeypox virus, and this lineage is epidemiologically linked to the super spreader events in Europe that formed the basis for the current outbreak of monkeypox.

TRACKING THE SPREAD

• While a majority of the genomes deposited could be linked to the 2022 outbreak of monkeypox, sequences deposited recently in 2022 from the U.S., Thailand and India suggest that there is a second distinct lineage of the monkeypox virus that is currently in active circulation in 2022.
• These genomes are classified as the A.2 lineage of the monkeypox virus and currently encompass six genome sequences, including two that were collected from Kerala.
• The earliest genome belonging to this lineage was collected from Texas in 2021, while the two sequences from Kerala collected in 2022 cluster closely with a genome collected from Florida in the same year.

AIDING GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE

• Genomic surveillance of pathogens provides interesting insights by following a molecular approach for contact tracing and understanding the transmission of the virus across the world.
• As cases of monkeypox continue to rise, it is therefore important to strengthen the genomic surveillance for the monkeypox virus.
• Since data from the present outbreak suggest a sustained human-to-human transmission, continuous genomic surveillance is important to understand the evolution and adaptation of the virus, apart from providing useful data to epidemiologists.

THE WAY FORWARD

• Genomic surveillance has played a crucial role in the global Covid -19 response, with countries like South Africa able to make essential contributions in detecting variants due to their capacities in this area. Thus, in the wake of the COVID-19 cases continuing unabated and monkeypox having a proliferating trend, there is an urgent need to build a sustainable system for genomic surveillance in India.
• Genomic sequencing is a crucial part of every country’s approach to detecting and containing outbreaks of other pathogens. Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG) has conducted various surveillance studies on genomic mutations. It provides an accurate real-time picture of how a pandemic is moving, and thus, its capabilities must be continuously refined. The INSACOG is crucial in:
  • Early detection of genomic variants of public health implications through sentinel surveillance.
  • To determine the genomic variants in unusual events/trends (Vaccine breakthrough, super-spreader events, high mortality/morbidity trend areas etc.).
  • To correlate the genome surveillance data with epidemiological data.
  • To suggest public health actions based on the analysis of genomic and epidemiological surveillance data.
• A Rapid Response Team (RRT) must be formed in each State/UT by the Health Department. The team should comprise a clinician, a microbiologist and a member of the Medical College (preferably from the Community Medicine Department). As soon as any mutation is detected and conveyed to the State/UT, the RRT must be deployed by the State/UT to the site, where it will investigate the mutant

THE CONCLUSION: Recently, WHO’s Science Council released a report, “Accelerating access to genomics for global health”, advocating for passing on Genomic Technologies to developing countries. The report mentions that countries with established expertise must come forward in support of vulnerable developing nations for the cause of enhancing their genetic sequencing and surveillance capabilities.

QUESTIONS TO PONDER

• “With COVID-19 continuing unabated and monkeypox around the corner, the time has never been better, and the need never more acute, to build a sustainable system for genomic surveillance in India.” In the light of this statement, examine the efficacy of the recently formed Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG).
• “A recent study revealed that the rate of genetic changes in the monkeypox virus was higher than expected.” In the light of this statement, explain the potential causes of the proliferation of viruses like MonkeyPox.
• Discuss the types of viruses. How are lineages of viruses named? Explain in the light of the monkeypox virus.