GS-II: Governance, Polity, IR
Infectious disease outbreaks
Not met yet — counts as met once you answer a question on it.
Infectious disease outbreaks span zoonotic, vector-borne, and airborne pathogens, each demanding distinct containment protocols. Plague illustrates this: pneumonic plague (Yersinia pestis) spreads via respiratory droplets human-to-human, while bubonic plague spreads via flea bites — same pathogen, critically different transmission routes, case-fatality rates, and responses. Surveillance operates under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, through the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), with international obligations governed by IHR (International Health Regulations) compliance. Pneumonic plague's airborne spread makes it substantially harder to contain than the vector-interrupted bubonic form.