UPSC Mains 2022 GS3 Q16 — Science and Technology
What is the basic principle behind vaccine development? How do vaccines work? What approaches were adopted by the Indian vaccine manufacturers to produce COVID-19 vaccines? (Answer in 250 words)
Question Decoded — examiner's intent
- Directive verbs
- WhatHow
- Scope keywords
- basic principle behind vaccine developmentHow do vaccines workapproachesIndian vaccine manufacturersCOVID-19 vaccines
- Implicit sub-parts
- Immunological memory and the concept of 'mimicking' natural infection without causing disease.
- The step-by-step biological mechanism: Antigen introduction to B-cell/T-cell activation to antibody production.
- Specific technological platforms used in India (Inactivated, Viral Vector, DNA, Protein Subunit).
- Brief mention of indigenous R&D versus technology transfer/licensing.
- Common pitfalls
- Spending too much time on the history of vaccines rather than the biological principle.
- Failing to name specific Indian companies (e.g., Bharat Biotech, Serum Institute, Zydus Cadila) and their respective vaccine names.
- Confusing the general working of a vaccine with the specific technical 'approaches' used for COVID-19.
- Neglecting to mention the revolutionary DNA or mRNA approaches, focusing only on traditional methods.
- Exceeding the word limit on the science part and leaving only 50 words for the Indian context.
- Dimensions required
- Immunological/BiologicalTechnological/BiotechnologicalIndustrial/ManufacturingPublic Health
- Marks allocation hint
Allocate approximately 50 words to the basic principle (Acquired Immunity), 75 words to the biological mechanism (Process of working), and the remaining 125 words to the Indian manufacturing approaches (Covaxin, Covishield, ZyCoV-D, Corbevax) as this is the core of the 15-marker GS3 requirement.
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