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UPSC Daily Current Affairs | Prelim Bits 18-09-2024

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September 18, 2024

Periyar

Periyar’s 146th birth anniversary celebrated recently in chennai.

  • Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy, also known as "Periyar," is an Indian social activist and politician born on September 17, 1879.
  • His parents - Venkatappa Nayakar and Chinnathayee.
  • He started the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam.
  • He is known as the 'Father of the Dravidian movement' as well as Pagutharivu Pagalavan.
  • INC - E.V. Ramasamy joined the Indian National Congress (INC) in 1919, but resigned in 1925 when he felt that the party was only serving the interests of Brahmins.
  • He was arrested during the non-cooperation movement in 1920.
  • In 1921, he courted imprisonment for picketing toddy shops in Erode.
  • In 1921, during the anti-liquor campaign he cut down 100 trees in his own farm.
  • He opposed and questioned the discriminated against non-Brahmins by Brahmins in cultural and religious matters.
  • Vaikom Satyagraha - He led the famous Vaikom Sathya Graha in 1924, where the people of down trodden community were prohibited to enter into the temple.
  • Finally the Travancore government relaxed such segregation and allowed the people to enter into the temple. Hence periyar was given the title of ‘Vaikom Hero’.
  • From 1929 to 1932 Ramasamy made a tour of British Malaya, Europe, and Soviet Union which influenced him.

Periyar

  • In 1939, E.V. Ramasamy became the head of the Justice Party and in 1944, he changed its name to Dravidar Kazhagam.
  • E.V. Ramasamy promoted the principles of rationalism, self-respect, women’s rights and eradication of caste.

Tamil Nadu celebrates Periyar’s birth anniversary as 'Social Justice Day' since 2021 whereas the World Day of Social Justice is 20th Feb.

  • Newspapers & Journals
    • Kudi Arasu, Tamil weekly magazine
    • Puratchi,
    • Pagutharivu,
    • Viduthalai,
    • Revolt, English magazine.

Reference

The Indian Express | Periyar’s 146th birth anniversary

 

Cellulitis Disease

There has been an upsurge in number of cellulitis cases in Karimnagar, Telangana.

  • Cellulitis- It is a common, potentially serious bacterial skin infection.
  • It is caused by Streptococcus and Staphylococcus bacteria, which live on the skin's surface.
  • In some cases, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) can cause cellulitis.
  • Infection - It typically affects the skin's deeper layers, including the dermis and subcutaneous tissue.
  • Cellulitis can occur anywhere on the body, but it most often affects the lower legs.
  • The affected skin is swollen and inflamed and is typically painful and warm to the touch.
  • Symptoms- Redness, swelling, warmth, Pain, Fever and blisters.
  • Left untreated, the infection can spread to the lymph nodes and bloodstream and rapidly become life-threatening. It isn't usually spread from person to person.
  • Affected Population- Common among those working in agriculture, construction, and people prone to cuts, bruises, and other injuries.
  • People who are overweight, have a weakened immune system, or have other skin diseases are at higher risk for developing cellulitis.
  • Diagnosis- Doctors usually diagnose cellulitis through a physical examination of the affected area.
  • In severe cases, blood tests may be conducted to check for a more widespread infection.
  • Treatment- The primary treatment is a course of antibiotics.
  • The disease can be treated successfully with antibiotics, and most people recover fully within 24 hours.

References

  1. Deccan chronicle | Spread of Cellulitis Disease
  2. Hopkins medicine | Cellulitis

 

Karma Festival or Karma Naach

Festival Karma starts with great pomp in Jharkhand recently.

  • The Karma Dance, also known as Karma Naach, is a traditional tribal performance that is conducted to commemorate the harvest festival and to honor the revered Karam tree.
  • Region- Eastern India, especially in Chota Nagpur plateau, covering states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal celebrated this tribal festival.
  • Central deity –Karam tree, regarded as a symbol of Karam Devta or Karamsani, the deity representing strength, vigor, and vitality.
  • Dance - Both males and females actively gather to form a circle, intertwining their arms around each other’s waists & dances in a circle around a sacred tree, honored as Karma.
  • Instrument - Thumki, Chhalla, Payri, and Jhumki instruments.
  • Celebrated by - Munda, Ho, Oraon, Baiga, Kharia, and Santhal tribes.
  • Celebrated on - The Ekadashi tithi (the eleventh day) of the lunar fortnight in the month of Bhado/Bhadra, which corresponds to August-September in the Gregorian calendar.
  • Nature of Celebration - A week prior to the festival, young women gather clear sand from the river to sow 7 varieties of grains.
  • On the festival day, a branch from the Karam tree is planted in a courtyard or ‘akhra’.
  • In addition they also planted the stems of Chirchitti (chaff flower) and Sindwar (chaste tree) in their rice fields, which, according to Tirkey, served as natural pest deterrents.
  • Devotees present jawa (hibiscus) flowers, and the pahan (priest) performs rituals for Karam Raja.
  • Traditional belief –Once the procession concludes, the karma branch must not touch the ground and should remain elevated between the dancers for the continuation of the performance.
  • The festival concludes with the immersion of the Karam branch in a river or pond, where devotees share the jawa among themselves.
  • Towards the conclusion of Karam, branches from sal or bhelua trees are often placed in fields, symbolizing the hope that Karam Raja/Devta will safeguard their crops.

Reference

The Indian Express | Karam Festival

 

Syntretus perlmani

New Parasitoid Wasp Species, Syntretus perlmani recently discovered by Researchers in Mississippi in Eastern US.

  • It is a new species of wasp that lays eggs inside living, adult fruit flies, which then burst from the hosts' abdomens while they're still alive.
    • Female S. perlmani use their needle-like ovipositor organ, the stinger in stinging wasps to stab and deposit an egg within a fruit fly's abdomen.
    • The egg then hatches into a tiny wasp larva, which grows inside the fly for about 18 days before leaving its host for dead.
  • It is the 1st wasp found to infect adult fruit flies similar wasp species are known to target flies during their younger, more vulnerable larva and pupa life stages.
  • The wasps are parasitoids rather than parasites because they always kill their hosts, while parasites usually don't.
  • Syntretus perlmani infects the adult stage of fruit flies in the genus Drosophila, including one of the most deeply studied model organisms in biology, Drosophila melanogaster.
  • Appearance - It is distinct from other species in the genus Syntretus by virtue of its small size (body length about 1.5 mm).
  • Distribution - It can be easily collected from backyard fly baits and has a broad geographic distribution throughout the Eastern U.S.

Syntretus Perlmani

Reference

Live Science | Syntretus perlmani

 

Lenacapavir, Potential Preventive HIV Drug

Patent applications for a drug called lenacapavir have shown to be capable of virtually eliminating new HIV infections through sex opposed in India.

  • Lenacapavir Drug It functions as a fusion capsid inhibitor.
  • It disrupts the HIV capsid, which is the protein structure that safeguards the genetic material and enzymes essential for the virus's replication.
  • This medication is delivered via subcutaneous injection, with a dosing schedule of once every 6 months.
  • Protentional of the Drug- The drug Lenacapavir has gained significant attention for its potential in preventing HIV.
  • It is administered through biannual injections as numerous clinical trials have shown it to be more effective than traditional oral preventive treatments, known as pre-exposure (PrEP).
  • PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis- It involves the administration of antiretroviral medications to reduce the risk of HIV infection in individuals who are considered to be at high risk.
  • The primary medication utilized in PrEP is Truvada, which consists of a combination of two antiretroviral agents - Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and Emtricitabine.
  • There are multiple forms of PrEP, including daily oral pills and a long-acting injectable form.
  • UNAIDS Opinion- Lenacapavir could play a pivotal role in the global effort to eradicate AIDS, provided that it is accessible to all.

HIV/AIDS

  • HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks the immune system, and AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is the most advanced stage of HIV infection.
  • HIV/AIDS is particularly targeting CD4 cells (T cells) that are essential for combating infections.
  • It can spread through sexual contact, illicit injection drug use or sharing needles, contact with infected blood, or from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding.
  • There is no vaccine to prevent HIV infection and no cure for HIV/AIDS.

UNAIDS

  • It serves as a paradigm for reform within the United Nations and stands as the sole cosponsored Joint Programme in the UN framework.
  • It leverages the knowledge and skills of 11 Cosponsors from the United Nations system and uniquely includes civil society representation on its governing board.
  • UNAIDS is at the forefront of the international initiative to eliminate AIDS as a public health concern by the year 2030, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals.

 Reference

The Hindu | Patent for HIV prevention drug opposed in India

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