Pneumococcal vaccines are vaccines against the bacteria Streptococcus pneumonia and can prevent cases of pneumonia, meningitis, and sepsis.
Pneumonia caused by the pneumococcus bacteria is supposed to be the most common.
It is spread from person to person through close contact.
PCV is a mix of several bacteria of the pneumococci family, which are known to cause pneumonia — hence ‘conjugate’ in the name.
Pneumonia is responsible for about 20% of under-5 child mortality in India, of which half are of pneumococcal origin.
It estimated around 23% of the global pneumonia cases originate in India.
PCV has been introduced in the Universal Immunisation Programme recently.
Prosopis Juliflora
Prosopis Juliflora is a shrub or small tree in the family Fabaceae commonly known as Seemai Karuvelam.
It is native to Mexico, South America and the Caribbean.
It was initially introduced in India during colonial times.
Later in 1960s it was Seed Bombed i.e aerially seeded by helicopter in Southern Tamilnadu to meet firewood demand.
Since then it has become invasive species.
It causes stomach poisoning in livestock by inducing a permanent impairment of its ability to digest cellulose.
It causes drying up of water bodies and ground water as it absorbs more than 4 litres of water to obtain one kg of biomass.
It cannot even shelter birds as it produces less oxygen and more carbon dioxide.
It causes land erosion due to the loss of the grasslands that are habitats for native plants and animals.
Dispersal of the species is mainly through animals by endozoochory (dispersal by vertebrate animals).
Other modes of seed dispersal are –
Autochory – Self dispersal
Barochory - Dispersal by gravity
Anemochory - Dispersal by air
Hyderochory – Dispersal by water
Chiropterochory – Dispersal by bats
Epizoochory – Dispersal by Non-vertebrate animals
Ballistic Missile Defence
Recently, Advanced Air Defence (AAD) is been successfully tested from Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha, intercepting the incoming enemy missile at the range of 15-30 km.
Advanced Air Defence (AAD)/ Ashvin Advanced Defense interceptor is capable of destroying missiles at endo-atmosphere altitudes of 20-40 kilometers.
It is part of India’s two tired ballistic missile defence.
The other is the Prithvi Air Defence (PAD) / Pradyumna Ballistic Missile Interceptor capable of destroying missiles at exo-atmospheric altitudes of 50–80 kilometers which was tested last month.
The Ballistic Missile Defence shield is expected to be achieved by 2022.
