UPSC Prelims 2015 Q17: Current Affairs – Disasters & Humanitarian Issues
Among the following, which were frequently mentioned in the news for the outbreak of
Ebola virus recently?
- (a) Syria and Jordan
- (b) Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia
- (c) Philippines and Papua New Guinea
- (d) Jamaica, Haiti and Surinam
Answer: (b) Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia
Explanation
Ebola outbreak of 2014 to 2016
The largest Ebola outbreak in history struck West Africa.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Worst-hit countries | Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia |
| Began in | Guinea, December 2013 |
| WHO action | Declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in August 2014 |
| Deaths | Over 11,000 |
About the Ebola virus:
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| First identified | 1976, near the Ebola river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Natural host | Fruit bats |
| Spread | Direct contact with body fluids of infected people or animals |
| Disease | Haemorrhagic fever with a high death rate |
The other options name places in West Asia, the Pacific and the Caribbean, none of which had the outbreak.
Answer: (b) Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Syria and Jordan were in the news for war and refugees, not Ebola.
- (b) CORRECT. Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia were the centre of the Ebola outbreak.
- (c) Incorrect. The Philippines and Papua New Guinea had no Ebola outbreak.
- (d) Incorrect. Jamaica, Haiti and Surinam are in the Caribbean region, far from the outbreak.
Key point
Ebola 2014-16: West Africa (Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia); WHO emergency August 2014; virus first found in 1976 near the Ebola river; fruit bats are hosts.
Remember
Ebola 2014 = Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia.
Common mistakes
- Confusing Guinea (West Africa) with Papua New Guinea (Pacific).
- Thinking Ebola spreads through air; it needs contact with body fluids.
- Placing the first outbreak in West Africa; the virus was first found in Central Africa.
Exam tip
Three neighbours on the West African coast: Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia.
Sources
- World Health Organization — Ebola virus disease: fact sheet
- World Health Organization — Ebola outbreak 2014-2016, West Africa