Question

UPSC Prelims 2015 Question:

Among the following, which were frequently mentioned in the news for the outbreak of Ebola virus recently?

  1. 1. Syria and Jordan
  2. 2. Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia
  3. 3. Philippines and Papua New Guinea
  4. 4. Jamaica, Haiti and Surinam

Answer (Detailed Solution Below)

Option 2: Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia

Detailed Solution

Explanation:

  • Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a rare but severe, often fatal illness in humans. The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.

  • EVD first appeared in 1976 in 2 simultaneous outbreaks, one in what is now Nzara, South Sudan, and the other in Yambuku, DRC. The latter occurred in a village near the Ebola River, from which the disease takes its name.

  • In early 2014, the outbreak in West Africa was the largest Ebola outbreak since the virus was first discovered in 1976. This was the seventh outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease since its discovery. There were more cases and deaths in this outbreak than all others combined. It started in Guinea then quickly spread to neighboring countries Sierra Leone and Liberia. By July 2014, it had reached the capital cities of these three countries and in August 2014, World Health Organisation declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

Therefore, option (2) is the correct answer.

Subject: Geography | Mapping

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