UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Union Health Minister Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda Launches Indigenously Manufactured Tetanus & Adult Diphtheria (Td) Vaccine at Central Research Institute, Himachal Pradesh
Q1. India's replacement of the Tetanus Toxoid (TT) vaccine with the Tetanus and Adult Diphtheria (Td) vaccine in the Universal Immunization Programme is aligned primarily with the standing recommendation of which one of the following bodies?
- A. World Health Organization (WHO)
- B. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
- C. United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
- D. United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC)
Q2. With reference to how the Td vaccine differs from the Tetanus Toxoid (TT) vaccine it replaces in the UIP, consider the following statements:
1. Unlike TT, the Td vaccine provides protection against both tetanus and diphtheria.
2. Td contains a full paediatric dose of diphtheria toxoid identical to that used in the childhood DPT vaccine.
3. The introduction of Td does not alter the number of doses given to pregnant women under the UIP schedule as compared with TT.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Unlike TT, the Td vaccine provides protection against both tetanus and diphtheria.
- Td contains a full paediatric dose of diphtheria toxoid identical to that used in the childhood DPT vaccine.
- The introduction of Td does not alter the number of doses given to pregnant women under the UIP schedule as compared with TT.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 3 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q3. The Central Research Institute (CRI), Kasauli, which manufactured the indigenous Td vaccine, functions under which one of the following?
- A. Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
- B. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
- C. Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology
- D. Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO)
Q4. In the context of the products manufactured at the Central Research Institute, Kasauli, the term 'antisera' most precisely refers to which one of the following?
- A. Blood serum containing preformed antibodies, used to confer passive immunity
- B. A weakened live pathogen administered to induce active immunity
- C. A chemically inactivated bacterial toxin used as a vaccine antigen
- D. A synthetic antibiotic preparation directed against bacterial infections
Q5. With reference to diseases against which vaccination is provided free of cost under India's Universal Immunization Programme (UIP), consider the following:
1. Diphtheria
2. Rotavirus diarrhoea
3. Typhoid
4. Pneumococcal pneumonia
Which of the above is/are correctly identified as covered under the UIP?
- Diphtheria
- Rotavirus diarrhoea
- Typhoid
- Pneumococcal pneumonia
- A. 1 and 3 only
- B. 2 and 4 only
- C. 1, 2 and 4 only
- D. 1, 3 and 4 only
Q6. The Universal Immunization Programme (UIP), under which the Td vaccine is being rolled out, is implemented in India by which one of the following?
- A. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
- B. Ministry of Women and Child Development
- C. Ministry of AYUSH
- D. Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology
Q7. Among the regulatory milestones completed by CRI Kasauli before the Td vaccine launch, the grant of 'Marketing Authorisation' denotes which one of the following?
- A. Permission from the drug regulator to manufacture and sell the vaccine
- B. Certification that an individual manufactured batch meets quality norms for release
- C. A licence permitting clinical trials of the vaccine on human volunteers
- D. Prequalification of the vaccine by the WHO for supply to other countries
Q8. The batches of Td vaccine manufactured at CRI Kasauli were cleared for supply to the UIP after batch release certification by which one of the following?
- A. Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL), Kasauli
- B. National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune
- C. National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Delhi
- D. National Institute of Biologicals (NIB), Noida
Q9. With reference to the diseases against which the Td vaccine protects, consider the following statements:
1. Tetanus is caused by the bacterium Clostridium tetani.
2. Diphtheria is caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae.
3. Both diseases targeted by the Td vaccine are caused by viruses.
4. Tetanus spreads directly from person to person through respiratory droplets.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Tetanus is caused by the bacterium Clostridium tetani.
- Diphtheria is caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae.
- Both diseases targeted by the Td vaccine are caused by viruses.
- Tetanus spreads directly from person to person through respiratory droplets.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 3 and 4 only
- C. 1, 2 and 3 only
- D. 2 and 4 only
Q10. With reference to the tetanus and diphtheria diseases and the toxoid vaccine, consider the following statements:
1. Tetanus toxoid is prepared by chemically inactivating the tetanus toxin, for example with formaldehyde.
2. Protection against tetanus is mediated by neutralising antibodies directed against the tetanus toxin.
3. Tetanus is a communicable disease that spreads directly from one person to another.
4. Diphtheria toxin causes disease by damaging tissues such as those of the respiratory tract.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
- Tetanus toxoid is prepared by chemically inactivating the tetanus toxin, for example with formaldehyde.
- Protection against tetanus is mediated by neutralising antibodies directed against the tetanus toxin.
- Tetanus is a communicable disease that spreads directly from one person to another.
- Diphtheria toxin causes disease by damaging tissues such as those of the respiratory tract.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 4 only
- C. 1, 3 and 4 only
- D. 3 only
Q11. In India's vaccine regulatory framework relevant to the Td vaccine's approval, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) functions primarily as which one of the following?
- A. The National Regulatory Authority responsible for approving new drugs and vaccines
- B. The nodal agency for procuring and distributing vaccines under the UIP
- C. A public-sector manufacturer of vaccines and antisera
- D. The expert group that recommends which vaccines are added to the immunization schedule