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- Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman recently passed away from heart disease, just days after the death of his wife, Betsy Arakawa, who succumbed to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
- About Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS):
- Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) is a rare viral illness that begins with flu-like symptoms and can quickly worsen into severe respiratory distress.
- It can cause life-threatening complications, particularly in the lungs and heart.
- The condition is also referred to as hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome.
- There are multiple strains of the hantavirus that can trigger HPS.
- Transmission:
- HPS is primarily transmitted by rodents, such as rats and mice. It is not spread from person to person.
- Infection occurs when a person inhales particles from rodent urine, droppings, or saliva that have become airborne.
- In rare cases, it may also spread through bites or scratches from infected rodents.
- Symptoms:
- The disease typically starts with fatigue, fever, and muscle aches, followed by headaches, dizziness, chills, and stomach issues.
- If respiratory symptoms arise, the mortality rate can be as high as 38%.
- Treatment:
- There is no specific cure for hantavirus infection. However, early medical intervention can help manage the disease and improve chances of recovery if it progresses.
- A camera trap in Dehing Patkai National Park has captured a rare sighting of the Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), a species classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
- About Dehing Patkai National Park:
- Located in the Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts of Assam, India.
- It is part of the Dehing Patkai Landscape, a lowland rainforest primarily dominated by dipterocarp trees.
- The park lies at the foothills of the Patkai Hill Ranges, along the Dehing River (a tributary of the Brahmaputra), and is adjacent to the Namdapha Wildlife Sanctuary.
- Often called the ‘Amazon of the East,’ the park is renowned for its vast and dense forests.
- Dehing Patkai is home to the largest stretch of tropical lowland rainforests in India, covering an area of 231.65 sq.km.
- It was initially declared a wildlife sanctuary on June 13, 2004, and was upgraded to a national park on December 13, 2020.
- The region experiences a tropical climate, with annual rainfall exceeding 4,000 mm.
- The park is home to over a dozen ethnic groups, including indigenous Assamese communities like the Tai Phake, Khamyang, Khampti, Singpho, Nocte, Ahom, Kaibarta, Moran, and Motok, along with Burmese and non-indigenous Nepali people.
- Vegetation:
- Dehing Patkai boasts deciduous rainforests, semi-evergreen trees, and lush green flora.
- Flora:
- The park is dominated by species like Hollong, Nahor, Mekai, Paroli, Simul, as well as a variety of orchids, ferns, cane, and bamboo.
- Fauna:
- The park has rich biodiversity, home to species such as the slow loris, pig-tailed macaque, stump-tailed macaque, capped langur, Indian leopard, Asian elephant, royal Bengal tiger, gaur, Himalayan black bear, clouded leopard, barking deer, and the Chinese pangolin, among others.
- The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the leading global authority on climate science and the impacts of global warming, has commenced work on its seventh assessment report cycle.
- About the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC):
- The IPCC is the United Nations body dedicated to evaluating the science behind climate change.
- It was founded in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
- Membership: The IPCC is composed of governments from 195 countries, all members of the United Nations or the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
- Objective: The primary goal of the IPCC is to assess the scientific, technical, and socio-economic data related to human-induced climate change, its potential impacts, and strategies for mitigation and adaptation.
- The IPCC provides governments with crucial scientific information to guide the development of climate policies.
- The core function of the IPCC is to prepare reports evaluating the current state of climate change knowledge, which include assessment reports, special reports, and methodology reports.
- IPCC reports play a key role in shaping international climate negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
- The IPCC does not conduct original research or collect climate data. Instead, it synthesizes the latest peer-reviewed scientific literature to assess the current understanding of climate change.
- Thousands of scientists volunteer their time to review and summarize the findings of scientific papers published annually, offering a comprehensive overview of the causes, impacts, and future risks of climate change, as well as ways to mitigate and adapt to those risks.
- The IPCC’s first assessment report was published in 1990. After completing its Sixth Assessment Report in 2023, the IPCC has now entered the cycle for its Seventh Assessment Report.