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Q17 (IAS/2015) Science & Technology › Biotechnology & Health › Human infectious diseases Official Key

Among the following, which were frequently mentioned in the news for the outbreak of Ebola virus recently?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: B
Explanation

The West African Ebola epidemic swept through Guinea,[1] Sierra Leone and Liberia. Of these countries, Liberia was reported by many organizations as the most severely affected.[1] There were 20,721 EVD cases in total: 2,775 in Guinea, 8,157 in Liberia, and 9,789 in Sierra Leone.[2] These three countries formed the core of the outbreak and were frequently mentioned in news reports during 2014-2016, particularly in 2015 when the epidemic was at its peak. The epidemic was initially located in the[3] West Africa region, and while there were isolated cases in other countries like Spain, the United States, United Kingdom, and Italy, the primary focus of international attention and news coverage remained on Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia as the epicenter of the crisis.

Sources
  1. [1] https://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/423511560254844269/pdf/Impact-of-the-West-African-Ebola-Epidemic-on-Agricultural-Production-and-Rural-Welfare-Evidence-from-Liberia.pdf
  2. [2] https://www.undp.org/publications/undps-policy-notes-economic-impact-ebola-virus-guinea-liberia-and-sierra-leone
  3. [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_African_Ebola_virus_epidemic_timeline
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Q. Among the following, which were frequently mentioned in the news for the outbreak of Ebola virus recently? [A] Syria and Jordan [B] Gui…
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 7.5/10
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This is a classic 'Headline Geography' question. It is extremely fair because the 2014-16 Ebola crisis was the dominant global news story of the year. The lesson is simple: When a crisis hits, do not just read the story—open your Atlas and memorize the specific cluster of affected countries.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Were Syria and Jordan frequently mentioned in news reports about the 2014–2016 West Africa Ebola virus outbreak (news coverage in 2015)?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 1/5
"Location | West Africa region (initially)"
Why this source?
  • Identifies the primary location of the epidemic as the West Africa region, implying coverage focused on West African countries.
  • No mention of Syria or Jordan in the listed location summary, suggesting they were not frequent topics in outbreak reports.
Web source
Presence: 1/5
"* [Spain] ... * [United States] ... * [United Kingdom] ... * [Italy]"
Why this source?
  • Lists other countries discussed in coverage (Spain, United States, United Kingdom, Italy), showing which non–West African countries were mentioned.
  • Syria and Jordan do not appear among the countries cited, indicating they were not frequently mentioned.

Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 17: Contemporary Issues > Epidemics > p. 37
Strength: 4/5
“Ebola fever in West Africa (Guinea, Sierra-Leone, Libara, etc.) has emerged as a serious epidemics during the last decade. In 2015, the swine flu outbreak occurred in the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat. More than 2000 people died in the epidemic. The 'Nipah' virus in 2018 resulted in a total of 19 deaths of which 17 were from Kerala. The outbreak was localised in the districts of Kozhikode and Mallapuram and three deaths due to 'Zika' virus infection were also reported from Kerala. The Encephalitis syndrome has resulted in death of over 153 children in the state of Bihar in June 2019.”
Why relevant

This snippet explicitly describes the West Africa Ebola outbreak and lists the primarily affected West African countries, indicating news focus on those locales.

How to extend

A student could use this to argue news coverage likely concentrated on West African countries (Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia) rather than distant Middle Eastern states like Syria and Jordan, and then check 2015 news archives for mention frequency.

Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 13: Cultural Setting > Recent International Migration > p. 102
Strength: 3/5
“Because of the rising number of civil wars, and local conflicts, the total number of internally displaced persons now adds upto about 45 million worldwide. Africa (Somalia, Sudan), Albania, Macedonia, and South-West Asia (Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, etc.) are the worst affected regions, with upto 25 million people having been internally displaced. During the recent decades, the major destinations for the permanent settlers have been the USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The contributions of the Third World countries to their immigration is nearly 77%. In recent period, environmental degradation and natural disasters have also forced the people to out-migrate from their places.”
Why relevant

This snippet highlights large-scale displacement and migration involving Syria, showing Syria is discussed in contexts (refugees, displacement) that can be cross-referenced with epidemic reporting.

How to extend

A student could test whether epidemic coverage linked Ebola to refugee/migration topics involving Syria by searching 2015 reports for combined keywords (Ebola + refugees/Syria).

Contemporary World Politics, Textbook in political science for Class XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 6: Environment and Natural Resources > Environment and Natural Resources 95 > p. 95
Strength: 2/5
“States have used force to protect or seize freshwater resources. Examples of violence include those between Israel, Syria, and Jordan in the 1950s and 1960s over attempts by each side to divert water from the Jordan and Yarmuk Rivers, and more recent threats between Turkey, Syria, and Iraq over the construction of dams on the Euphrates River. A number of studies show that countries that share rivers — and many countries do share rivers are involved in military conflicts with each other.”
Why relevant

This snippet shows Syria and Jordan are often mentioned together in news about regional resource/conflict issues, demonstrating they appear in international reporting on Middle Eastern topics.

How to extend

A student might extend this pattern to ask if Syria/Jordan appear in global health reporting similarly, then compare counts of Middle East vs West Africa mentions in 2015 Ebola coverage.

Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 9: Divergent Boundary > 9.2. The Great Rift Valley > p. 129
Strength: 2/5
“• The Great Rift Valley runs north to south for around 6,400 kilometres from northern Syria to central Mozambique in East Africa.• The northernmost part of the rift forms the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon. Farther south, the valley is the home of the Jordan River which continues south through the Jordan Valley into the Dead Sea on the Israeli-Jordanian border. From the Dead Sea southward, the Rift is occupied by the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea.• The Afar Triangle of Ethiopia and Eritrea is the location of a triple junction. The Gulf of Aden is an eastward continuation of the rift, and from this point, the rift extends south-eastward as part of the midoceanic Aden Ridge.• In a southwest direction, the fault continues as the East African Rift, which split the older Ethiopian highlands into two halves.”
Why relevant

This geographic snippet connects northern Syria to East Africa via the Great Rift Valley, suggesting potential geographic narratives that link the Middle East and Africa in some accounts.

How to extend

A student could examine whether such geographic-link narratives caused journalists to mention Syria in pan-regional Ebola stories by checking geographic framing in 2015 articles.

Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 6: Environmental Degradation and Management > dESErtIfIcatIon or dESErtISatIon. > p. 17
Strength: 1/5
“In countries where desertifcation is particularly extensive and severe are Jordan, Lebanon, Somalia, Ethiopia, Southern Sudan, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Western Sahara. Te Sahel region of Africa sufers severe drought after every two years. In the decade of 1990 it recorded one of the worst drought as a result of which the crop production was minimal and thousands of people died because of starvation. Te resulting threat of starvation spurs population of the afected areas to increase their farming and livestock pressure on the denuded land, further contributing to their desertifcation. It has been suggested that Mali may be the frst country in the world rendered uninhabitable by environmental destruction.”
Why relevant

This snippet lists Jordan among countries suffering desertification, indicating Jordan is present in environmental/development reporting that might sometimes intersect with global health discourse.

How to extend

A student could search whether environmental vulnerability pieces in 2015 linked Jordan to Ebola discussions (e.g., concern about disease spread in fragile states) to assess mention frequency.

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