Context:
Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV) has for the first time found the presence of Clade 9 variant of varicella zoster virus (VZV) in India.
A clade is a grouping that includes a common ancestor and all the descendants (living and extinct) of that ancestor.
About VCV:
- It is a herpes virus that causes chickenpox.
- In rare cases, VZV infections can progress to the central nervous system involvement and severe complications.
- Mpox disease symptoms are frequently mistaken for VZV, as their clinical presentations often closely resemble each other.
Shingles (Herpes Zoster) is a painful condition caused by the reactivation of the chickenpox virus that resides in 90% of adults aged 50 years or older.
Source: The Hindu
Previous Year Question
H1N1 virus is sometimes mentioned in the news with reference to which one of the following diseases?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2015 Prelims]
(a) AIDS
(b) Bird flu
(c) Dengue
(d) Swine flu
Answer: (d)
