Daily Current Affairs (MCQ) | Date 27.11.21

Q1. Consider the following statements about the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5)

1. Incidence of anaemia increased in India
2. The total fertility rate (TFR) has declined in India

Which of the above are correct?

1. 1 only 
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer : c

Why is the Question ?

 A close reading of the NFHS-5, the health of India

• There are many pluses in the report card. A comparison of NFHS-5 with NFHS-4 (2015-16) reveals improvement in several dimensions such as educational attainment, institutional deliveries, vaccinations, infant mortality and much more.
• Given how little India spends on health and education as a share of GDP, these improvements are particularly remarkable.

Success and concerns:

1. The biggest positive headline news from NHFS-5 is that the total fertility rate (TFR), which is the average number of children born to a woman during her lifetime, has been falling over time and is now just below the replacement rate of 2.1. This is true across all states of India. This means that the total population has stabilised. 
2. Another headline reveals that nationally, there are 1,020 adult women per 1,000 men for the first time. To gauge the future, the key metric to examine would be the sex ratio at birth (SRB).
3. The natural SRB translates to 952 girls per 1,000 boys. Nationally, the SRB has improved from 919 in 2015-16 to 929 in 2019-21, but it is still short of the natural SRB. 
4. The Major States with low SRBs are spread all over the country: Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Bihar, Delhi, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Maharashtra. 
5. While many states have seen an improvement in their SRBs, some have also witnessed a worsening, e.g. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Odisha. 
6. Therefore, we need to recognise that the move to a small family size combined with persistent son preference is likely to impede the improvements in SRB.

Anaemia and malnutrition

1. A key health indicator that has worsened is the incidence of anaemia in under-5 children (from 58.6 to 67%), women (53.1 to 57%) and men (22.7 to 25%) in all states of India. 
2. Anaemia has debilitating effects on overall health, which is why the World Health Organization characterises it as a serious public health concern; 20%-40% incidence is considered moderate. 
3. The Indian States show variation: from 39.4% in Kerala to 79.7% in Gujarat: but barring Kerala, all States are in the “severe” category. It is tempting to think of the worsening as the COVID-19 effect.
4. The three indicators of malnutrition: stunting (low height-for-age), wasting (low weight-for-height) and underweight (low weight-for-age): show an overall improvement. 
5. These conditions often occur together. Together, these reflect chronic or recurrent undernutrition, usually associated with poverty, poor maternal health and nutrition, frequent illness and/or inappropriate feeding and care in early life. These prevent children from reaching their physical and cognitive potential.
6. In addition to anthropometric measures, lack of adequate nutrition is also measured by micronutrient deficiencies, i.e. lack of vitamins and minerals that are essential for body functions such as producing enzymes, hormones and other substances needed for growth and development. 
7. While the NHFS does not have data on this, the issue of micronutrients is related to diets. It would be good to note here that Indian diets display a rich diversity.

Q2. Which of the following factors cause anaemia?

1. Illness
2. Low iron intake
3. Vitamin deficiency

Select the correct answer from the codes given below

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 1 only
3. 2 and 3 only
4. 1, 2, and 3

Answer : d

Why is the Question ?

Many traditional diets reflect both local climatic conditions as well as a multiplicity of sources of essential nutrients, such as proteins. Policing of diets, by imposing an unnatural uniformity, and preventing access to animal protein for large sections of Indians that are not traditionally vegetarian is likely to reduce micronutrient diversity and contribute to poor health outcomes.

Notes of caution

1. COVID-19 might have added fuel to the fire of poor public health, but it did not cause the fire.
2. The survey focuses on women’s empowerment, autonomy and mobility indicators. It shines a spotlight on women’s reproductive health, and reveals, for instance, that caesarian births have increased dramatically. In private health facilities, 47.5% of births are by C-section (14.3% in public health facilities).
3. These figures are highly unnatural and call into question unethical practices of private health providers who prioritise monetary gain over women’s health and control over their bodies.

The overall evidence is compelling and clear: health ought to be a matter of concern for all political parties and all governments: national and State. The survey highlights deep inequalities in health outcomes. An action plan to improve India’s health needs to be inclusive, firm in its commitment and backed by solid resources.

Q3. Variants of concern are decided based on

1. Transmission efficiency
2. Disease severity 
3. Escape from immunity cover of vaccination

Select the correct answer from the codes given below

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 1 only
3. 2 and 3 only
4. 1, 2, and 3

Answer : d

Why is the Question ?

VOC:

1. The ‘concern’ in VOC comprises three sinister properties – transmission efficiency, disease severity and escape from immunity cover of vaccination.
2. Constant mutations pose threat to the efficacy of vaccines developed with great speed in one year.
3. Vaccine experts and human rights groups have warned that the longer Covid circulates in developing nations, there is the greater chance of more vaccine-resistant, deadly mutations of the virus emerging. 

Omicron new variant of concern

1. The World Health Organization (WHO) classified the B.1.1.529 variant detected in South Africa as a SARS-CoV-2 “variant of concern”, saying it may spread more quickly than other forms.
2. Preliminary evidence suggested that there is an increased risk of reinfection and there had been a “detrimental change in COVID-19 epidemiology”, the WHO said after a meeting of experts who reviewed the data. 
3. Infections in South Africa had risen steeply in recent weeks, coinciding with the detection of the variant now designated as omicron, the WHO said.
4. This variant has been detected at faster rates than previous surges in infection, suggesting that this variant may have a growth advantage. Current PCR tests continue to successfully detect the variant, it said.

Q4. According to NITI Aayog’s Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) which of the following state has the highest percentage of population multidimensionally poor?

1. Bihar
2. Madhya Pradesh
3. Rajasthan
4. Odisha

Answer : a

Why is the Question ?

Over 50% of Bihar population multidimensionally poor: NITI

1. With more than 50% of the population in Bihar identified as “multidimensionally poor”, the State has the maximum percentage of the population living in poverty among all the States and the Union Territories, according to the government think tank NITI Aayog’s Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).
2. As per the index, 51.91% of the population in Bihar is poor, followed by Jharkhand (42.16%), Uttar Pradesh (37.79%), Madhya Pradesh (36.65%) and Meghalaya (32.67%). On the other hand, Kerala registered the lowest poverty levels (0.71%), followed by Puducherry (1.72%), Lakshadweep (1.82%), Goa (3.76%) and Sikkim (3.82%).
3. The development of the National Multidimensional Poverty Index of India is an important contribution towards instituting a public policy tool that monitors multidimensional poverty, informs evidence-based and focused interventions, thereby ensuring that no one is left behind.