Fruit bats are the natural reservoir of Nipah Virus
Laboratory diagnosis of Nipah virus infection is made using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) from throat swabs, Cerebrospinal fluid, Urine, and blood analysis during acute and convalescent stage of the diseases.
# Immuno-histochemistry on tissue collected during the autopsy also confirms the diseases.
# RNA can be isolated from the saliva of infected persons.
# IgG and IgM antibody detection can be made after recovery to confirm Nipah virus infection.
# In Bangladesh and India, the disease linked to consumption of raw date palm sap (toddy) and contact with bats.
# In Malaysia and Singapore, the disease is transmitted from the contact of infected pigs.
HenipaVirus : A genus of family Paramyxoviridae
HenipaVirus is a genus of RNA virus in the family Paramyxoviridae, order Mononegavirales containing five established species.
# HenipaVirus are naturally harboured by pteropia fruit bats (flying foxes) and microbats of several species.
# Henipavirus are characterized by long genomes and a wide host range.
# The recent emergence of as zoonotic pathogens capable of causing illness and death in domestic animals and human is a cause of concern.
What is Nord Stream 2?
# Nord stream 2 is an expansion of Russia's existing Nord Stream pipeline to Germany across the Baltic sea.
# It is expected to carry 110 billion cubic meter of natural gas per year to Europe where demand is set to rise.
# Ukraine id concerned as Nord Stream 2 and the planned Turk stream connection would eleminate Russia's energy's need to cross its territory potentially exposing the war-torn country to further military incursion by Moscow.
India placed on "Tier 2" in human trafficking report
The U.S State Department has released its 2019 Trafficking in persons (TIP) report, highlighting the need for action against domestic trafficking.
# In 77% of the cases, victims are trafficked within their own countries of residence, rather than across border.
# According to International Labour Organisation (ILO), victims of forced labour were typically exploited within their own countries whereas, victims of sex trafficking likely to trafficked across borders.
# The report categorises countries into three groups based on the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), enacted by U.S legislation in 2000.
# The Categorization is based on efforts to meet minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking.
# India is placed in Tier 2, the countries whose government do not fully meet the TVPA's minimum standards but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards.
# The recommendations for India include amending the definition of trafficking in section 370 of the penal code to "include forced labour trafficking and ensure that force, fraud or coercion and are not required to prove a child sex trafficking an offence" and to establish Anti-human Trafficking Units in all districts with funding and clear mandates.
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