Background
The International Health Regulations (2005) are a binding international legal agreement involving 196 countries, including all the Member States of the World Health Organization.
Their aim is to help the international community prevent and respond to acute public health risks that can cross borders, while avoiding unnecessary interference with international traffic and trade.
The IHR Emergency Committee is made up of international experts who give technical advice to the WHO Director-General.
The Committee gives its views on whether an event is a public health emergency of international concern, on the Temporary Recommendations that should be taken, and on the termination of such an emergency.
The Director-General makes the final determination, based on the Committee's advice, information from States Parties, scientific experts and an assessment of the risk to human health, of international spread and of interference with international travel.
Temporary Recommendations automatically expire three months after they are issued, so Emergency Committees are reconvened at least every three months.
The Regulations define such an emergency as an extraordinary event that is determined to constitute a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated international response.
Countries involved in the Regulations:
196
Life of a Temporary Recommendation:
Three months
Who makes the final determination:
The WHO Director-General
Why it matters for exams: Who declares a public health emergency of international concern, how many countries the Regulations bind and the three-month life of Temporary Recommendations are the standard questions on global health governance.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
IHR International Health Regulations (2005) — The binding agreement under which countries detect, report and respond to cross-border public health risks.
PHEIC Public health emergency of international concern — An extraordinary event that poses a public health risk to other States and may need a coordinated international response.
Emergency Committee IHR Emergency Committee — The panel of international experts that advises the WHO Director-General on such an emergency.
10 October 2026
The Health and Family Welfare Department of Meghalaya released on 30 September 2026, by No. Health.91/2025/59, a review of operationalising Tura Medical College and strengthening Tura Civil Hospital infrastructure.
Only 37 teaching faculty have been mapped as on date, against the 97 that the National Medical Commission requires for an annual intake of 50 MBBS seats.
The effort has run for more than a year, with repeated exercises to identify willing and qualified in-service doctors, three rounds of advertisements, and consultations with doctors in Tura on the shortage of specialists.
The review recommends completing and commissioning the 150-bedded and 80-bedded blocks under construction on the Civil Hospital, Tura campus, so that patients can use them sooner.
That would add to the bed capacity of Tura Civil Hospital, which is to serve as the teaching hospital for the college.
Teaching faculty mapped:
37
Faculty the NMC requires:
97
Annual intake proposed:
50 MBBS seats
Blocks under construction:
150-bedded and 80-bedded
Rounds of advertisement:
Three
Why it matters for exams: The faculty norms of the National Medical Commission and the gap between sanctioned seats and available teachers are a live policy question in medical education.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
NMC National Medical Commission — The regulator that sets faculty, infrastructure and seat norms for medical colleges in India.
10 October 2026
Malaysia ordered school closures on 9 October 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Johor, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang and Selangor, affecting about two million students. Kuala Lumpur's Air Pollutant Index stood at about 170, in the unhealthy band above 100; readings above 200 are very unhealthy and above 300 hazardous. Under the rule applied, schools are to close when the API reaches 150 or higher. Fires have burned across six Indonesian provinces, scorching at least 200,000 hectares, and Indonesia's health ministry has recorded more than 170,000 respiratory infections. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim called the haze worrying, spoke with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and asked the foreign minister to seek an urgent meeting of ASEAN environment ministers. Malaysia is also stepping up cloud seeding, and Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek promised parents more advance notice of future closures.
Kuala Lumpur API:
about 170
School closure threshold:
API 150
Students affected:
about two million
Area burned in Indonesia:
at least 200,000 hectares
Respiratory infections recorded:
more than 170,000
Why it matters for exams: Transboundary haze is the standard example of a regional environmental problem handled through ASEAN cooperation.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
API Air Pollutant Index — Malaysia's air quality scale; readings above 100 are unhealthy and above 300 hazardous.
10 October 2026
The World Health Organization observes World Mental Health Day on 10 October 2026 with the theme 'Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change'. The theme asks governments to place people who have themselves lived with mental health conditions at the centre of policy, law and service design. WHO's campaign page draws on survey data from its Mental Health Atlas 2024. Only 9 per cent of countries have fully moved from institution-based to community-based mental health care, while 53 per cent are in the early stages of that shift. Some 49 per cent of reported psychiatric hospital admissions are involuntary and 23 per cent of hospital stays last longer than a year. Where countries do have a mental health policy or plan, 80 per cent developed it in consultation with people with lived experience, but only 37 per cent involve them in training primary health care workers.
Date:
10 October 2026
Theme:
Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change
Countries fully shifted to community-based care:
9%
Involuntary psychiatric admissions:
49%
Hospital stays longer than a year:
23%
Why it matters for exams: World Mental Health Day themes and WHO Mental Health Atlas figures are standard material for health and social-sector questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Mental Health Atlas WHO Mental Health Atlas — WHO's periodic country-by-country stocktaking of mental health policies, services and spending.
10 October 2026
The Union Health Ministry is observing World Mental Health Day on 10 October 2026 with the theme 'Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change'.
Tele-MANAS, the free round-the-clock counselling helpline on 14416, was launched on 10 October 2022.
As of October 2026 it had received about 47.75 lakh calls, that is 47,75,644 calls, through 53 operational cells spread across all 36 States and Union Territories.
In recorded caller profiles, women accounted for 43.78% and men for 54.18%, and people aged 18 to 45 made up 73.2% of callers.
The District Mental Health Programme has been sanctioned in 767 districts, and mental health services have been integrated into over 1.83 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.
MANN Jaagriti, a community awareness initiative, is being run to reduce stigma and encourage early help-seeking.
These efforts sit within the National Mental Health Programme.
Theme 2026:
Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change
Tele-MANAS helpline:
14416, launched 10 October 2022
Calls received:
about 47.75 lakh (47,75,644)
Tele-MANAS cells:
53 across all 36 States and UTs
District Mental Health Programme:
sanctioned in 767 districts
Why it matters for exams: The Tele-MANAS helpline number, its launch date and the district coverage of the mental health programme are standard health scheme questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Tele-MANAS Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States — A national tele-mental health service offering free counselling on a toll free number in several languages.
10 October 2026
The Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights held a state-level consultation on 9 October 2026 at the KTDC Grand Chaithram Hotel in Thiruvananthapuram.
The meeting brought together superintendents and counsellors of homes that shelter children who have faced sexual exploitation.
Acting Chairperson Cecily Joseph inaugurated the meeting and Commission member T.C. Jalaja Mol presided.
Commission member K.K. Shaju gave the welcome address, and members B. Mohan Kumar, Dr F. Wilson and P. Shajesh Bhaskar spoke.
K. Muhammad Shafi, State Additional Nodal Officer of the Special Juvenile Police Unit and Principal of the Police Training College, addressed the meeting.
K. Krishnamoorthy, Programme Manager of the Integrated Child Protection Scheme in the Women and Child Development Department, VRC Coordinator Parvathy Menon and Sreela Menon, State Coordinator of the Nirbhaya Cell, also spoke.
Venue:
KTDC Grand Chaithram Hotel, Thiruvananthapuram
Inaugurated by:
Acting Chairperson Cecily Joseph
Presided over by:
Commission member T.C. Jalaja Mol
Why it matters for exams: The Commission for Protection of Child Rights, the Special Juvenile Police Unit and the Integrated Child Protection Scheme are frequently asked child protection institutions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
SJPU Special Juvenile Police Unit — A police unit required in every district under the juvenile justice law to handle children in need of care and children in conflict with law.
ICPS Integrated Child Protection Scheme — The centrally supported scheme through which States run child protection services and institutions.
10 October 2026
The Kerala Cabinet on 9 October 2026 approved the Department for Senior Citizens Bill.
Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan said the Bill will be introduced in the Assembly session beginning on 12 October 2026.
He said the aim is to ensure legal protection for senior citizens.
Kerala was the first in the world to set up a government department for senior citizens.
A survey to count senior citizens in Kerala has begun, and those needing care will be counted and followed up.
The Chief Minister said no senior citizen in Kerala will be left alone.
Cabinet approval:
9 October 2026
Assembly session begins:
12 October 2026
Why it matters for exams: Bills cleared by the Cabinet and the date an Assembly session begins are routinely asked in Kerala PSC polity and current affairs papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Bill Bill — A draft law placed before the legislature; it becomes an Act after it is passed and assented to.
9 October 2026
On 9 October 2026 the World Health Organization published 'Surveillance, case investigation and contact tracing in filovirus disease outbreaks', a 51-page normative guidance. It covers Ebola disease, caused by four viruses (Ebola, Sudan, Bundibugyo and Taï Forest), and Marburg virus disease. It updates WHO's 2015 guideline on contact tracing for Ebola virus disease and revises the case definitions using recent outbreak evidence. It describes five functions across the surveillance cycle, from routine surveillance and early warning to outbreak investigation and contact tracing, epidemiological analysis and community engagement. The guidance states that it does not replace national protocols.
Published:
9 October 2026
Length:
51 pages
Updates:
2015 guideline on contact tracing for Ebola virus disease
Why it matters for exams: Outbreak response guidance and the viruses behind Ebola disease are standard health questions in competitive exams.
Kerala PSCUPSC
9 October 2026
WHO's Weekly Epidemiological Record published 'Elimination of human onchocerciasis: progress report, 2025–2026' on 9 October 2026. In 2025, 255.7 million people required preventive chemotherapy and 180.3 million were treated, a global coverage of 70.5%. This is described as the highest number of people ever treated for onchocerciasis in a single year. Ivermectin mass drug administration has stopped in 310 implementation units. About 38 million people no longer need preventive chemotherapy, mostly in Nigeria (28.0 million), Uganda, Ethiopia and Mali. Angola, Gabon and Sudan did not implement mass drug administration in 2025.
People treated in 2025:
180.3 million
Global coverage:
70.5%
People requiring preventive chemotherapy:
255.7 million
Implementation units where ivermectin MDA stopped:
310
Why it matters for exams: Neglected tropical disease elimination and WHO data are frequent in health and current-affairs questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
MDA Mass drug administration — Giving a medicine to a whole at-risk community, here ivermectin.
9 October 2026
The World Health Organization published a practical guide titled Supporting the transition to community-based mental health and social care on 9 October 2026.
The 146-page guide carries ISBN 978-92-4-012413-4.
It is written for psychiatric hospital leaders and decision-makers who are working to deinstitutionalize adults who have had long stays in psychiatric hospitals.
WHO says institutional care can absorb a large share of mental health resources, separate people from their communities, limit their autonomy and expose them to human rights risks.
The guide sets out adaptable, evidence-informed actions organised across three phases, described as plan, prepare and provide.
It focuses on three areas where hospitals can have influence: reducing admissions and lengths of stay, transforming care inside hospitals, and increasing supported discharge, continuity of care and community participation.
Responsibilities are grouped under leadership, partnership and mandate, reflecting the need for coordination among hospitals, authorities, people with lived experience, families, workers and community services.
WHO says deinstitutionalization requires system-wide reform, including aligning policies, laws and funding and building community-based services and housing support.
Publication date:
9 October 2026
Pages:
146
ISBN:
978-92-4-012413-4
Three phases:
Plan, prepare and provide
Why it matters for exams: WHO guidance documents and the idea of deinstitutionalization in mental health care are standard health and governance material.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
WHO World Health Organization — The United Nations specialised agency for public health, based in Geneva.
Deinstitutionalization Shift from long-stay institutions to community care — Moving care for people with mental health conditions out of long-stay hospitals and into community services.
9 October 2026
The Joint Squad for Health (JOSH) Team was launched nationwide on 8th October 2026 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
Marking the launch, the Medical Department of Mon District felicitated six Nikshay Mitras and six TB-Free villages with Certificates of Appreciation at the DC Conference Hall, Mon.
The six Nikshay Mitras were Ali from the District Civil Supply Office, Tonwang from the District Welfare Office under the Integrated Child Protection Scheme, Thepfuradi Zumu from the District Youth Resource and Sports Office, Dr. Gloria Ngullie and Wati Longkumer from FCI, and Function from LDA, DC Office.
Two villages won Silver for both 2024 and 2025: Changlo Village under Tobu Block and Aopao Village under Aboi Block.
Four villages won Bronze for 2025: Loakkun and Sangsa under Tizit Block, Lampong Wakching under Wakching Block and Guhching Village under Mon Block.
JOSH launch date:
8th October 2026
Nikshay Mitras felicitated:
Six
TB Mukt Panchayats 2025:
Six, two Silver and four Bronze
District:
Mon, Nagaland
Why it matters for exams: Nikshay Mitra and TB Mukt Panchayat are named components of India's TB elimination drive, and JOSH is a new three-ministry health initiative.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
JOSH Joint Squad for Health — A health initiative of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare run with the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
Nikshay Mitra Nikshay Mitra — A volunteer donor who adopts tuberculosis patients to provide nutritional and other support under India's TB programme.
9 October 2026
Six weeks after Nepal's flooding disaster, communities are still struggling to rebuild and will need sustained help, the UN Children's Fund said on Friday. At least 1,400 people were killed, including 84 children, and nearly 5,300 people are still missing. The flooding began in late August when a mountain of glacial ice and rock collapsed into the Bhotekoshi, Upper Trishuli and Narayani-Gandak rivers, unleashing a torrent that washed away bridges and homes. UNICEF spokesperson James Elder, reporting from Kathmandu, said affected towns and villages look like war zones and that access to some communities in Rasuwa remains difficult. Caroline Holt of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said relief supplies are still being airlifted to the most isolated areas, and that families face disrupted markets, higher transport costs and shortages of essential goods. Elder said the Himalayas are warming about twice as fast as the global average, while Nepal produces only 0.1 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. He urged that pledges on loss and damage be turned into support that reaches families, ahead of the UNFCCC climate summit COP31 in Antalya, Turkiye, from 9 to 20 November.
Killed:
at least 1,400, including 84 children
Still missing:
nearly 5,300
Nepal's share of global emissions:
0.1 per cent
COP31:
Antalya, Turkiye, 9-20 November
Why it matters for exams: The item carries exact casualty figures, the rivers involved and the COP31 venue and dates, all of which are directly examinable.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
IFRC International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies — The global body of national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, based in Geneva.
UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change — The treaty under which the annual COP climate summits are held.
9 October 2026
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ayush, Prataprao Jadhav, inaugurated the second edition of the Indo-UK Health Conclave 2026 in New Delhi on 9 October 2026.
The two-day conclave was organised by Marengo Asia Hospitals and the BAPIO Training Academy under the theme “Bridging Healthcare, Education and Innovation”.
It brought together healthcare professionals, academicians and institutional representatives from India and the United Kingdom.
Jadhav said traditional systems of medicine, when supported by scientific research, appropriate clinical evidence, quality standards and responsible integration, can strengthen preventive healthcare and holistic well-being across the world.
He welcomed a structured training and capacity-building initiative for Ayush professionals that includes two six-month certificate courses for Ayush graduates and postgraduates: Certificate in Acute Care & Emergency Support, and Certificate in Lifestyle Health & Well-Being Counselling & Practice.
The Minister said the United Kingdom's experience in clinical governance, patient safety and quality assurance, together with India's clinical expertise, technological innovation and healthcare delivery, can help build more accountable health systems.
Edition:
Second
Theme:
Bridging Healthcare, Education and Innovation
New courses:
Two six-month certificate courses
Organisers:
Marengo Asia Hospitals and BAPIO Training Academy
Why it matters for exams: A named India-United Kingdom health event with a dated inauguration, a theme, the organisers and two specific new certificate courses gives several single-fact questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Ayush Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy — The Union Ministry that looks after India's traditional systems of medicine.
9 October 2026
Valakom Grama Panchayat has begun building a new Janakeeya Arogya Kendram to bring primary health care closer to homes. The construction is funded with ₹55.5 lakh from the Fifteenth Finance Commission and the centre will work under the Ardram Mission, with disease prevention as a stated focus. It replaces a sub-centre building under the Valakom Family Health Centre that was about forty years old and had been certified unfit. Pregnant women, newborns, children, adolescents and the elderly are the target groups. The services planned include maternal and child care, family planning, reproductive health, control of communicable diseases, treatment of common ailments, first aid, screening for lifestyle diseases, cancer and mental health problems, national health programmes, palliative care for the elderly, emergency care and referral for further treatment. Clinics will run six days a week. Dr. Mathew Kuzhalnadan MLA inaugurated the construction and Panchayat President Rajitha Sudhakaran presided.
Construction cost:
₹55.5 lakh
Funding source:
Fifteenth Finance Commission
Mission:
Ardram Mission
Clinic days:
Six days a week
Why it matters for exams: The Ardram Mission and the use of Finance Commission grants by panchayats for health buildings are recurring Kerala governance questions.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Ardram Mission Ardram Mission — Kerala's mission to upgrade government health facilities and make them people-friendly.
Family Health Centre Family Health Centre — An upgraded primary health centre in Kerala that offers longer hours and more services.
9 October 2026
A division bench of Justice G. S. Kulkarni and Justice Dr Neela Gokhale of the Bombay High Court has held that keeping Mumbai clean is a collective duty of its citizens and not solely the municipal corporation's responsibility.
The bench described citizens as equal stakeholders in a clean and hygienic city.
The proceedings arise in Kannamwar Co-Op. Hsg. Soc. Association Ltd. and others versus Union of India and others, a petition that began over a dumping ground facility and has been widened to cover health and hygiene across the city.
The Court linked city cleanliness to the fundamental duty in Article 51A(j) of the Constitution and to constitutional goals on public health and environmental protection.
It said improper waste disposal harms community health and creates breeding grounds for mosquitoes and rodents that can spread dengue, malaria, leptospirosis and cholera.
The Court took on record the corporation's affidavit on enforcement of the Solid Waste Management Bye-Laws, 2025, ward-wise fines, CCTV monitoring and the MyBMC Marg app.
It directed ward officers to attend immediately to instances of clogged drainage, saying the photographed drain was only the tip of the iceberg.
It also directed the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board to confirm whether PM10 levels were within the safe permissible limit.
Fundamental duty invoked:
Article 51A(j)
Bye-laws being enforced:
Solid Waste Management Bye-Laws, 2025
Diseases named by the Court:
dengue, malaria, leptospirosis and cholera
Pollutant the MPCB must confirm:
PM10
Why it matters for exams: A court reading fundamental duties under Article 51A(j) into municipal sanitation, with named vector-borne diseases and a specific bye-law, links polity, environment and health in one item.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Article 51A(j) Clause (j) of Article 51A of the Constitution of India — A fundamental duty of every citizen to strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity.
MPCB Maharashtra Pollution Control Board — The State board that monitors air and water quality and enforces pollution control law in Maharashtra.
9 October 2026
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) will observe its 33rd Foundation Day on 12 October 2026 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, followed by a national conference on 'Water as the Elixir of Life: Advancing Human Dignity through the Right to Water'.
Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant, will be the chief guest. NHRC Chairperson Justice V. Ramasubramanian and the Members will take part.
The Commission was set up on 12 October 1993.
In 33 years it has acted upon over 24 lakh matters, 24,33,716 in all, including 3,100 suo motu cases, and recommended over Rs 274 crore in relief to victims in 9,085 cases.
Between 1 October 2025 and 30 September 2026 it registered 54,673 complaints and 119 suo motu cases and disposed of 53,733 matters, holding spot enquiries in 80 cases and recommending relief of over Rs 9.7 crore in 157 cases.
The Commission has 18 special rapporteurs and 15 special monitors, has issued 35 advisory papers, and has recommended amending 97 laws to prevent discrimination against persons with Hansen's disease.
Foundation Day:
12 October 2026, the 33rd
NHRC established:
12 October 1993
Matters acted upon in 33 years:
24,33,716, including 3,100 suo motu cases
Relief recommended:
over Rs 274 crore in 9,085 cases
Complaints registered, 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026:
54,673
Why it matters for exams: The NHRC's founding date, composition and workload figures are standard questions on statutory human rights bodies.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
NHRC National Human Rights Commission — The statutory human rights body established under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.
Suo motu On its own motion — When a body takes up a matter on its own, without a complaint being filed.
9 October 2026
A new report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime describes a booming illicit market in medicines in Central Africa.
From 2020 through 2025, authorities seized 251 tonnes of medical products in Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Gabon, Central African Republic and Chad.
Annual seizures rose from about five tonnes in 2020 to nearly 116 tonnes in 2024, before exceeding 97 tonnes in 2025.
Cameroon accounted for nearly all the seizures recorded in 2025, with 96 tonnes intercepted, compared with just 2.5 tonnes five years earlier.
The products ranged from antibiotics, antimalarial and anti-inflammatory drugs to painkillers and psychoactive substances such as tramadol and pregabalin.
Sylvie Bertrand, UNODC's regional representative for West and Central Africa, said the report outlines a multimodal trafficking system using maritime, riverine, air and road routes.
The report was produced with the World Health Organization and the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa.
The UN cautioned that larger seizures can reflect both greater trafficking and more aggressive enforcement.
Seized, 2020 to 2025:
251 tonnes
Countries covered:
Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Gabon, Central African Republic, Chad
Seizures in 2024:
nearly 116 tonnes
Cameroon in 2025:
96 tonnes
Partners:
WHO and CEMAC
Why it matters for exams: UNODC, CEMAC and the problem of falsified and diverted medicines appear in health governance and international organisation questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime — The UN office for drugs and crime, run from Vienna.
CEMAC Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa — A regional economic and monetary union of six Central African states.
9 October 2026
UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell said pregnancy and childbirth have become a new fault line in the global climate crisis as extreme heat worsens.
He was speaking in Fiji at an event organised by the charitable foundation Wellcome on the first day of the pre-COP ministerial meeting, ahead of the COP31 climate conference in Antalya.
Stiell said extreme heat during pregnancy is increasingly linked to premature birth, stillbirth, low birth weight and maternal complications.
He cited a Wellcome-commissioned survey of maternal health professionals in five countries across five continents.
Some 73 per cent of those surveyed reported that heat-linked cases or complications had increased over the past five years.
And 81 per cent were concerned or very concerned that extreme heat would increasingly put maternal, foetal and newborn health at risk without more action.
He called for maternal and newborn health to be built into countries' climate plans and for the tripling of adaptation finance agreed at COP30 to be delivered.
Speaker:
Simon Stiell, UNFCCC Executive Secretary
Survey:
Maternal health professionals in five countries across five continents
Reported more heat-linked cases:
73 per cent
Concerned about future risk:
81 per cent
Next climate summit:
COP31, Antalya
Why it matters for exams: The UNFCCC, its Executive Secretary and the COP sequence with its host cities are asked in nearly every environment paper.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change — The 1992 climate treaty whose annual Conference of the Parties is called COP.
Adaptation finance Adaptation finance — Money provided to help countries cope with climate impacts rather than cut emissions.
9 October 2026
Kenya's first Ebola death has triggered a race to trace everyone the victim came into contact with, the World Health Organization's Representative in Kenya, Dr Neema Rusibamayila Kimambo, told UN News in Nairobi.
The strain involved is Bundibugyo, which has now claimed its first life in Kenya.
The victim, a man who had lived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for several years, fell ill there, flew to Nairobi via Kampala and Entebbe in Uganda on 3 October, went straight to hospital and died in the Kenyan capital.
Around 10 of the man's relatives have been placed under quarantine, and 21 health workers who served him in hospital have been contacted.
The Government is working with the airline to reach roughly 23 passengers and four crew members who were on the flight.
WHO is supporting Kenya, the DRC and Uganda in contact tracing, surveillance and screening; so far there have been no other infections.
In the DRC the outbreak declared on May 15, the country's 17th, has claimed more than 4,000 lives with confirmed cases reaching 8,300 across seven provinces.
Strain:
Bundibugyo
Relatives quarantined:
around 10
Health workers contacted:
21
Flight contacts:
roughly 23 passengers and four crew members
DRC outbreak deaths:
more than 4,000
Why it matters for exams: Ebola strains, outbreak geography and WHO's role in cross-border response are standard public health questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
WHO World Health Organization — The UN agency for international public health, headquartered in Geneva.
Contact tracing Contact tracing — Identifying and following up everyone who may have been exposed to an infected person.
9 October 2026
The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has decided to award the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel.
The citation is "for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics".
Deisseroth works at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Stanford University, USA; Hegemann at Humboldt University of Berlin and Nagel at the University of Wurzburg, Germany.
Hegemann and Nagel discovered channelrhodopsin, a protein on the surface of the single-celled alga Chlamydomonas that opens an ion channel when lit by blue light.
Deisseroth introduced the channelrhodopsin gene into nerve cells from rats and triggered a nerve signal with blue light, publishing the breakthrough in 2005.
Per Svenningsson, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine, said optogenetics allows brain mapping in a way researchers could once only dream of.
Laureates:
Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, Georg Nagel
Field:
Light-gated ion channels and optogenetics
Awarding body:
Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet
Breakthrough published:
2005
Why it matters for exams: Nobel laureates and the substance of the discovery are a standing question in PSC and UPSC papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Optogenetics Optogenetics — A method that uses light to switch specific nerve cells on or off in a living brain.
Channelrhodopsin Channelrhodopsin — An algal protein that opens an ion channel when illuminated by blue light.