Current Affairs Quiz , 11 May 2019

1) Which of the following countries has recently launched Global Health Security Strategy to prevent, detect and respond to threats from infectious diseases?

a) India
b) USA
c) Japan
d) France

Answer: b
• The US government has come up with a first of its kind strategy to prevent, detect and respond to threats from infectious diseases occurring naturally or accidentally, in an effort to help improve the world’s ability to stop and contain deadly outbreaks before they spread between countries.
• The Global Health Security Strategy defines the actions the administration will take by adopting a whole-of-government approach to health security and leveraging the strengths of different federal departments, agencies and funding streams

2) The World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) 2019 is organised by

a) Convention on Migratory Species (CMS)
b) African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA)
c) Environment for the Americas (EFTA)
d) All of the above

Answer: d
• In 2019, World Migratory Bird Day is celebrated on May 11 and October 12.
• World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) started in 2006 and is an annual awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats. It has a global outreach and is an effective tool to help raise global awareness of the threats faced by migratory birds, their ecological importance, and the need for international cooperation to conserve them

3) The Indian Army is commemorating which year as the ‘Year of Next of Kin’ to reach out to the next of kin of battle casualties, ex-servicemen and serving soldiers?

a) 2018
b) 2019
c) 2020
d) 2022

Answer: b
• The Indian Army is commemorating 2019 as the ‘Year of Next of Kin’ and plans to reach out to the next of kin of battle casualties, ex-servicemen and serving soldiers to inform them of entitled financial benefits, welfare schemes and help resolve pension related problems.
• The issue gains importance in light of most next of kin of deceased soldiers being unaware of the financial benefits that are entitled to them.

4) Which among the following has released an open-source software development kit called ElectionGuard that will use encryption techniques to let voters know when their vote is counted?

a) Microsoft
b) IBM
c) Election Commission of India
d) NITI Aayog

Answer: a
• In a bid to help countries ensure secure and verifiable voting, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has announced “ElectionGuard” — a free open-source software development kit (SDK).
• “ElectionGuard” will enable end-to-end verification of elections, open results to third-party organisations for secure validation, and allow individual voters to confirm their votes were correctly counted.

5) Dengvaxia is a recently approved first-of-its-kind vaccine for which disease?

a) Diphtheria
b) Malaria
c) Tuberculosis
d) None of the above

Answer: d
• The Food and Drug Administration approved the first vaccine against dengue fever, one that protects against a common disease but has generated significant controversy due to evidence it can increase the risk of severe infection in some people.
• The agency ruled that Dengvaxia, manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur, can only be used in individuals aged 9 to 16 living in parts of the United States where the dengue virus is endemic