Nuclear-capable Agni-I Missile Successfully Test-fired
- India successfully test-fired its indigenously built, nuclear-capable Agni-1 ballistic missile from a mobile launcher at launch pad-4 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Abdul Kalam Island (Wheeler Island), Odisha coast.
- The surface-to-surface, single-stage missile is powered by solid propellants and can hit targets 700 km away. The trial was a part of training exercise by the Strategic Forces Command of the Indian Army. The last trial of Agni-I, conducted on November 27, 2015.
- Agni-I missile is equipped with a sophisticated navigation system that ensures it reaches the target with a high degree of accuracy and precision. Weighing 12 tonnes, the 15 m long Agni-I, is designed to carry a payload of more than one tonne.
- Agni-I was developed by Advanced Systems Laboratory, the premier missile development laboratory of DRDO in collaboration with the Defence Research Development Laboratory and Research Centre Imarat, and.integrated by Bharat Dynamics Limited, Hyderabad.
Iran Conducted Fresh Ballistic Missile Tests
- As per the official website of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Iran test-fired several ballistic missiles from silos across the country on March 8, 2016 because of defying recent USA sanctions on its missile programme.
- The intention behind the test was, “to show Iran’s deterrent power and also the Islamic Republic’s ability to confront any threat against the (Islamic) Revolution, the State and the sovereignty of the country”.
- The test came two months after the USA sanctioned businesses and individuals linked to Iran’s missile programme over a test of the medium-range Emad missile carried out in October, 2015.
Health & Nutrition Current Affairs
Zika Virus Structure Revealed
- A team led by Purdue University researchers is the first to determine the structure of the Zika virus, which reveals insights critical to the development of effective antiviral treatments and vaccines.
- The team also identified regions within the Zika virus structure where it differs from other flaviviruses, the family of viruses to which Zika belongs that includes dengue, West Nile, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis and tick-borne encephalitic viruses.
- The Zika virus, a mosquito-bome disease, has recently been associated with a birth defect called microcephaly that causes brain damage and an abnormally small head in babies bom to mothers infected during pregnancy.
India’s Rotavirus Vaccine to Combat Diarrhoeal Deaths Launched
- The Health Ministry launched the country’s first, indigenous rotavirus vaccine to combat diarrhoeal deaths on March 26, 2016. The launch of Rotavac was a new milestone towards expanding the coverage of full immunisation in the country aimed at reducing child mortality.
- The vaccine was being introduced initially in four States : Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Odisha, and would be expanded to the entire country in a phased manner.
- The Rotavac added to 3 new vaccines that have been introduced in India’s Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) that includes Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV), Measles, Rubella (MR) vaccine, and Adult Japanese Encephalitis (JE) vaccine.
- Diarrhoea caused by Rotavirus is one of the leading causes of severe diarrhoea and death among children less than five years of age. In India, between 80000 to one lakh children die due to Rotavirus diarrhoea annually while nearly 9 lakh children are admitted to hospital with severe diarrhoea.
