Prelims Focus- 15th December 2023
1.Anthrax
In News: The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported a major outbreak of anthrax in five countries in eastern and southern Africa.
- Anthrax is a serious infectious disease caused by gram-positive rod-shaped bacteria known as Bacillus anthracis.
- It occurs naturally in soil and commonly affects domestic and wild animals worldwide.
- Infection: People get anthrax through contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products. Anthrax is not usually transmitted from animal to animal or from human to human, although there have been some human-to-human reports of cutaneous anthrax.
- Symptoms: Fever, nausea, vomiting and sweating leading to shortness of breath and eventually respiratory failure and hemodynamic collapse.
- Diagnosis: Anthrax can be diagnosed by detecting Bacillus anthracis in blood, skin lesions or respiratory secretions by laboratory culture, PCR or ELISA tests.
Treatment: Antibiotic treatment can cure most anthrax infections. In severe cases, treatments such as continuous fluid removal and mechanical ventilation are required. Vaccines are also available for both animals and humans.
2.Remission of Duties and Taxes on Export Products (RoDTEP) Scheme
In News: The US and the European Union have now imposed countervailing duties (CVD) on four Indian products in retaliation for the Refund of Export Duties and Export Taxes (RoDTEP) scheme, which was introduced for outbound shipments in January 2021.
- It is based on the globally recognized principle that duties and taxes should not be exported and that duties and taxes on exported products should either be exempted or refunded to exporters.
- The RoDTEP scheme will reduce/refund central, state and local duties/taxes imposed on exporters which have not been refunded/refunded so far. The system will be implemented from January 1, 2021, and the discount is given by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (KTA) as a transferable electronic copy from end to end in the IT environment.
3.Diel Vertical Migration (DVM)
Context:
Diel Vertical Migration (DVM) is a behaviour seen in deep-sea marine creatures, especially zooplankton, where they swim up to the surface of the ocean at night and then go back to deeper waters during the day.
Significance of the DVM:
- The migration of animals in the mesopelagic layer is a survival strategy that allows them to feed on phytoplankton in the darkness and avoid predators during the day.
- This migration is important for the Earth’s carbon cycle because these animals remove carbon from the upper ocean and transport it to deeper waters.
- DVM is the largest daily migration in terms of biomass and occurs in all oceans.
- It also contributes to carbon sequestration as migratory animals pass on carbon to their predators in the twilight zone, leading to carbon-rich waste sinking to the ocean floor.
4.IUCN Red List Updation 2023
Context:
- The recent update to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species highlights the risk climate change poses to various species, such as Atlantic salmon and green turtles.
- It also presents the initial worldwide evaluation of freshwater fish.
Details:
- A recent assessment shows that 25% of freshwater fish species are in danger of becoming extinct, and at least 17% are being affected by climate change.
- The report highlights several threats to these species, including decreasing water levels, rising sea levels, changing seasons, pollution, dams, overfishing, and invasive species.
- It also mentions some successful conservation efforts, like the scimitar-horned oryx and the saiga antelope, but warns that climate change could harm their future.
- Furthermore, the report reveals the negative impact of illegal logging and trade on the big-leaf mahogany, which has now been classified as endangered.
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