Diseases in Focus: RSV, HGPS, Mpox II Current Affairs UPSC

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The World Health Organization recommended vaccinating pregnant women and administering infants with an antibody to prevent severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in newborns.

Sammy Basso, who was the longest-living survivor of the rare genetic disease progeria, has died at the age of 28.

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that it has listed the first mpox in vitro diagnostic (IVD) under its Emergency Use Listing (EUL) procedure.

Diseases in News:

Disease	Aspects	Description
RSV	*About*	RSV, which typically causes cold-like symptoms, is a leading cause of severe infection and death in babies and older adults. RSV can cause severe infection in some people, including babies 12 months and younger (infants), especially premature infants, older adults, people with heart and lung disease, or anyone with a weak immune system (immunocompromised).
	*Symptoms*	Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common respiratory virus that can cause a range of symptoms, including: Runny nose, Coughing, Congestion, Fever, Sneezing, Wheezing, Sore throat, Headache, Fatigue, and Decreased appetite.
	*Transmission*	RSV is spread through contact with an infected person's fluid from their nose or mouth. This can happen by touching a contaminated surface and then touching your eyes, mouth, or nose, or by inhaling droplets from an infected person's cough or sneeze.
	*Impact*	A majority of RSV-related deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, with about 101,400 annual deaths in children under the age of five, according to the WHO.
	*RSV and Coronavirus*	Having RSV may lower immunity and increase the risk of getting COVID-19 — for kids and adults. And these infections may occur together, which can worsen the severity of COVID-19 illness.
	*Treatment*	Wild RSV infections will go away in a week or two without treatment. However, severe cases require medical interventions.
	*Vaccine*	Pfizer's RSV shot, sold as Abrysvo, is the only available vaccine in the United States and Europe for use in pregnant women. It is also approved in a few other markets such as Japan and Canada. For infants and toddlers, Sanofi and AstraZeneca's antibody, Beyfortus, is again the only approved shot in the U.S., United Kingdom and some other countries - but its supply has been limited.
Hutchinson–Gilford syndrome (HGPS)	*About*	Progeria, also known as Hutchinson–Gilford syndrome (HGPS), causes people to age rapidly, leading them to appear older than they are. It leads to a reduced quality of life.
	*Symptoms*	Patients develop a characteristic facial appearance including prominent eyes, a thin nose with a beaked tip, thin lips, a small chin, and protruding ears. It also causes hair loss (alopecia), aged-looking skin, joint abnormalities, and a loss of fat under the skin (subcutaneous fat). This condition does not affect intellectual development or the development of motor skills such as sitting, standing, and walking.
	*Causes*	Mutations in the *LMNA* gene cause Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome. The *LMNA* gene provides instructions for making a protein called lamin A. This protein plays an important role in determining the shape of the nucleus within cells. The altered protein makes the nuclear envelope unstable and progressively damages the nucleus, making cells more likely to die prematurely.
	*Life expectancy*	The person affected has a life expectancy of only 13.5 years without treatment.
	*Inheritance*	Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome is considered an autosomal dominant condition, which means one copy of the altered gene in each cell is sufficient to cause the disorder. The condition results from new mutations in the LMNA gene, and almost always occurs in people with no history of the disorder in their family.
	*Frequency*	This condition is very rare. It affects one in every eight million people born and has a worldwide incidence of one in every 20 million.
	*Treatment*	There's currently no cure for progeria, but researchers are studying several drugs to treat the condition. Progeria treatment includes the use of a drug called lonafarnib (Zokinvy). Originally developed to treat cancer, lonafarnib has been shown to improve many aspects of progeria.
Mpox	*About*	Belonging to the poxvirus family, the pox virus adapts and infects people through "genomic accordions". The mpox outbreak in 2022–2023, highlighted the need to comprehend the evolutionary processes of the virus. In 2022, a global outbreak of clade IIb Mpox began. In August 2024, the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency of international concern due to an outbreak in the DRC and cases in other African countries.
	*Cause*	Mpox is caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV), which is related to the virus that causes smallpox.
	*Symptoms*	Symptoms include a fever, rash, swollen lymph nodes, headache, muscle aches, back pain, and fatigue. Symptoms usually appear within a week of exposure but can take up to 21 days.
	*Transmission*	Mpox spreads through close contact with someone who has the disease. The virus can also survive on surfaces, clothing, bedding, towels, and electronics that have been touched by an infected person.
	*Mechanisms of Evolution*	The mpox virus exhibits genomic plasticity, which enables it to multiply genes, amass mutations, and modify the size of its genome. This adaptability enhances the virus's ability to replicate and spread while avoiding immunological reactions. Genomic accordions Genomic accordions, which are characterised by repeated sequences, are rhythmic expansions and contractions of the viral genome. Through gene alterations, these structures in mpox regulate host range, pathogenicity, and viral fitness.
	*Prevention and treatment*	The best way to prevent mpox is to get vaccinated. The CDC recommends the JYNNEOS vaccine, which requires two doses, given 4 weeks apart. The second dose should be given as soon as possible if it has been longer than 4 weeks since the first dose.

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Sources:

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/who-recommends-maternal-vaccine-and-antibody-shot-to-prevent-rsv-in-infants/article68709342.ece

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/survivor-of-rare-rapid-ageing-disease-progeria-dies-at-28/articleshow/113986054.cms

https://www.financialexpress.com/business/healthcare-who-approves-first-mpox-diagnostic-test-for-emergency-use-3630188/

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q.Consider the following statements about the “Hutchinson–Gilford syndrome (HGPS)” recently seen in the news:

It causes people to age rapidly, leading them to appear older than they are.
This condition also affect intellectual development.
The disease can be cured by medication.

How many of the above statements is/are correct?

A.Only one

B.Only two

C. All Three

D.None

Answer: A

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct:

Progeria, also known as Hutchinson–Gilford syndrome (HGPS), causes people to age rapidly, leading them to appear older than they are.

It leads to a reduced quality of life.

Statement 2 is incorrect:

Patients develop a characteristic facial appearance including prominent eyes, a thin nose with a beaked tip, thin lips, a small chin, and protruding ears.

It also causes hair loss (alopecia), aged-looking skin, joint abnormalities, and a loss of fat under the skin (subcutaneous fat).

This condition does not affect intellectual development or the development of motor skills such as sitting, standing, and walking.

Statement 3 is incorrect:

This condition is very rare. It affects one in every eight million people born and has a worldwide incidence of one in every 20 million.

There's currently no cure for progeria, but researchers are studying several drugs to treat the condition. Progeria treatment includes the use of a drug called lonafarnib (Zokinvy). Originally developed to treat cancer, lonafarnib has been shown to improve many aspects of progeria.