GS PAPER II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Introduction:

• It’s only a little bigger than a computer monitor, yet as cases surge and with oxygen cylinders in short supply across several states, the concentrator is among the most sought after devices for oxygen therapy, especially among patients in home isolation and for hospitals running out of oxygen.

How does it work?

• An oxygen concentrator is a medical device that concentrates oxygen from ambient air.
• Atmospheric air has about 78 per cent nitrogen and 21 per cent oxygen, with other gases making up the remaining 1 per cent.
• The oxygen concentrator takes in this air, filters it through a sieve, releases the nitrogen back into the air, and works on the remaining oxygen.
• This oxygen, compressed and dispensed through a cannula, is 90-95 per cent pure.
• A pressure valve in concentrators helps regulate supply, ranging from 1-10 litres per minute.
• According to a 2015 report by the WHO, concentrators are designed for continuous operation and can produce oxygen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for up to 5 years or more.

At 90-95 per cent purity, is the oxygen from concentrators pure enough?

• While it is not as pure as LMO (99%), experts say it is good enough for mild and moderate Covid-19 patients with oxygen saturation levels of 85% or above.
• It is, however, not advisable for ICU patients.
• Concentrators can be attached with multiple tubes to serve two patients at the same time, but experts don’t recommend it since it carries risk of cross-infection.

How are concentrators different from oxygen cylinders and LMO?

• Oxygen concentrators are the easiest alternatives to cylinders but can only supply 5-10 litres of oxygen per minute (critical patients may need 40-50 litres per minute) and are best suited for moderately ill patients.
• Concentrators are portable and unlike LMO that needs to be stored and transported in cryogenic tankers, need no special temperature.
• And unlike cylinders that require refilling, concentrators only need a power source to draw in ambient air.

How do they compare with cylinders in terms of cost and maintenance?

• While at Rs 40,000-90,000 concentrators are more expensive than cylinders (Rs 8,000-20,000), it’s largely a one-time investment.
• Apart from electricity and routine maintenance, there’s little by way of operational cost, unlike cylinders that involve refilling costs and transportation.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/oxygen-concentrators-why-are-they-in-demand-and-how-are-they-different-from-oxygen-cylinders-7287730/

 

CSF & Sheep Pox Vaccine

Context: The ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh transferred the Technology - CSF & Sheep Pox Vaccines to M/s Hester Biosciences through Agrinnovate India Limited in a ceremony held.

• ICAR-IVRI for moving in the direction of providing the country with two important Vaccines at a cheaper price and longer immunity.
• Due to the cheaper prices of the Vaccines, a greater return can be achieved with lesser investment, which will enable production enhancement in animals.
• ICAR regarded the Vaccines to be a great problem-solver for the farmers or people involved in animal husbandry practices.

Live Attenuated Indigenous CSF Cell Culture Vaccine (IVRI-CSF-BS)

• The Classical Swine Fever (CSF) is an important disease of pigs that causes 100% mortality.
• In India, the disease is controlled by a lapinized CSF vaccine (Weybridge Strain, U.K.) produced by killing large numbers of rabbits.
• To avoid this, the ICAR-IVRI earlier developed a Cell Culture CSF Vaccine using the Lapinized Vaccine Virus from foreign strain.
• The Indigenous CSF Cell Culture Vaccine (IVRI-CSF-BS) developed by using an Indian field isolates has a huge export potential.
• Costing around less than Rs 2/- per dose as against Rs. 15 to Rs. 25/- of Lapinized CSF Vaccine, the high titre vaccine would be the most economical CSF Cell Culture Vaccine.
• The vaccine has been extensively tested for safety and potency.
• The vaccine has been found to induce protective immunity from day 14 of the Vaccination till 18 Months.

Indigenous Live Attenuated Sheep Pox Vaccine [SPPV Srin 38/00]

• Sheep pox is a severe viral disease in sheep, which is economically important in small ruminants.
• A live attenuated Sheep Pox Vaccine using indigenous strain was developed by the Institute for preventive vaccination in the sheep population.
• The developed Vaccine uses indigenous Sheep Pox Virus Strain [SPPV Srin 38/00] and is adapted to grow in the Vero cell line which makes the Vaccine production to be easily scalable.
• The Vaccine is innocuous, safe, potent, and immunogenic [efficacious] for sheep aged more than six months of age.
• It has been evaluated both in-house and field. It protects the Vaccinated animals for a period of 40 months.

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1710230