• As Europe reels under a heatwave and wildfires, the rising temperatures have also raised fears of spread of viruses generally not found in colder climates.
• WHO has sounded alert about the threat Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF)

ABOUT CRIMEAN-CONGO HEMORRHAGIC FEVER (CCHF)

• Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a viral haemorrhagic fever usually transmitted by ticks.
• It was first detected among soldiers in the Crimean Peninsula (near the Black Sea) in 1944.
• It can also be contracted through contact with viraemic animal tissues (animal tissue where the virus has entered the bloodstream) during and immediately post-slaughter of animals.
• Animals such as cattle, goats, sheep and hares “serve as amplifying hosts for the virus.
• Symptoms- CCHF symptoms include fever, muscle ache, dizziness, neck pain, backache, headache, sore eyes and sensitivity to light.
• CCHF outbreaks constitute a threat to public health services as the virus can lead to epidemics.
• It has a high case fatality ratio (10–40%), potentially results in hospital and health facility outbreaks, and is difficult to prevent and treat.
• There is no vaccine for the virus in either humans or animals, and treatment generally consists of managing symptoms.

• According to sources, ISRO and Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC) are developing Radio thermoelectric generators (RTGs).
• RTGs are lightweight, compact spacecraft power systems.
• The RTGs use radioactive materials, such as Plutonium-238 or Strontium-90, which release heat as they decay.
• It contains two parts-
  • the radioisotope heater unit (RHU) which generates heat, and
  • the RTG, which converts the heat into electricity.
• Large difference in temperature between this hot fuel and cold environment of space is applied across thermocouples, which generates an electrical current using no moving parts.
  • Thermocouple is a material that develops a voltage if there is a heat gradient across it.
• RTGs are independent of solar proximity and planetary alignment which are necessary to send a spacecraft deep into space, such as into inter-planetary missions.
• Earlier, spacecrafts such as Voyager, Cassini etc have been powered by RTGs.

• NITI Aayog in association with Institute for Competitiveness, released the third edition of the report titled ‘Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2022’ for States/UTs of India.
• The overview of the four pillars in the index is –
  • Policy Pillar evaluates states and UTs’ performance based on its adoption of export-related policy ecosystem at a state and district level as well as the institutional framework surrounding the ecosystem.
  • Business Ecosystem assesses the prevailing business environment in a state/UT, along with the extent of business-supportive infrastructure, and a state/UTs’ transport connectivity.
  • Export Ecosystem focuses on the export-related infrastructure in a state along with the trade support provided to the exporters, and the prevalence of Research and Development in the state to foster innovation.
  • Export Performance is an output-based indicator which gauges the growth of a state’s export over the previous year and analyses its export concentration and footprint on the global markets.
• States are classified as: coastal, landlocked, Himalayan, and UTs/small states.

MAJOR FINDINGS

• Most ‘Coastal States’ performed well, with Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka being top-performers.
• Haryana, Uttarakhand and Goa topped under landlocked, Himalayan, and UTs/small states categories respectively.
• Over 99% districts are covered under ‘One District One Product’ scheme.
• Ten commodities (engineering goods, petroleum products etc) accounting for nearly 80% of India’s total exports.
• Among export districts, Jamnagar in Gujarat topped the chart which was followed by Surat and Mumbai Suburban.
• 100 districts in the country are responsible for nearly 87 percent of the country’s export.
• 49% of India’s exports go to only ten destinations.

• A powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake recently struck the Alaskan Peninsula.
• It is a long, narrow strip of land located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Alaska.
• It extends about 800 kilometres (500 miles) in a southwest direction from the mainland of Alaska.
• It separates the Pacific Ocean from Bristol Bay, an arm of the Bering Sea.
• Aleut and Alutiiq (Sugpiaq) indigenous communities live here.

• India and UAE signed a MoU recently to establish IIT-Delhi campus in Abu Dhabi.
• It would be second IIT abroad after IIT Madras set up campus at Zanzibar in Tanzania.

• Nigeria has declared a State of Emergency over food security as record inflation has made basic foods unaffordable for many and has increased malnutrition rates.
• It is Africa’s most populous country and is often called as Giant of Africa.

• Indian govt. has reimposed windfall tax on petroleum crude after two months.
• It is a higher tax levied by the government on specific industries when they experience unexpected and above-average profits.
• A Windfall Tax is imposed on an industry’s profits when it experiences a sharp increase in revenue due to unrelated external events.
• These revenues are not linked to anything the company actively pursued, such as its business strategy or expansion.

• It is a joint military exercise between India-Mongolia.
• It is the 15^th edition of bilateral joint military exercise.
• An annual training event, it is conducted alternatively in Mongolia and India.
• This year it is being held in at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
• The primary theme of the exercise will focus on counter-terrorism operations in mountainous terrain under United Nations mandate.

• Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz has defeated Novak Djokovic in 2023 Wimbledon men’s final.
• Marketa Vondrousova (Czech) defeated Ons Jabeur (Tunisia) in the final to win the ladies’ singles tennis title.
• A Grand Slam refers to winning all four major championships of Australia, France, Britain (Wimbledon), and United States-in same calendar season.
• Career Grand Slam refers to the accomplishment of winning each of the four major championship’s durind a player’s career.

• London is standing at risk of a major measles outbreak, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has warned recently.

About Measles

• It is a highly contagious viral disease and is a cause of death among young children globally.
• It is caused by a single-stranded, enveloped RNA virus with 1 serotype. It is classified as a member of the genus Morbillivirus in the Paramyxoviridae family.
• It is normally passed through direct contact and the air.
• The virus infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing severe disease, complications and even death.
  • It can cause serious complications, including blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhoea, ear infection and pneumonia.
• Unvaccinated young children and pregnant women are at highest risk of severe measles complications.
• No specific antiviral treatment exists for measles.
• Vaccine
  • MMR Vaccine gives protection against three diseases measles, mumps and rubella.
  • MMRV vaccine can prevent measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella.