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Home/Anthropology/Mains PYQ/2020/Paper I/Human Genetics & Human Biology
UPSC MainsAnthropology Optional Paper I 2020 15 Marks Model Answer Available

Infectious Diseases and Indigenous Populations — 2020 Paper I

Question · 2020 · Paper I · 15 Marks

Describe the impact of infectious diseases on indigenous populations.

Model Answer

VAID ICS

Approach

  • Demand of Question: Describe the demographic, biological and socio-cultural effects of infectious diseases on indigenous populations.
  • Structuring the Response: Explain heightened vulnerability, historical epidemic impacts, biocultural consequences and contemporary determinants with suitable examples.

Model Answer

Introduction

Indigenous populations have often experienced severe effects from infectious diseases, particularly following contact with previously isolated populations. Their vulnerability reflects the interaction of immunological history, demographic isolation, poverty, ecological change and unequal healthcare access.

Historical impact

Contact between geographically separated populations frequently introduced pathogens against which indigenous communities possessed limited prior exposure.

Introduced pathogen → Immunological susceptibility → Epidemic → High mortality

Following European expansion in the Americas, diseases such as smallpox, measles and influenza caused catastrophic mortality among several Native American populations.

Similar epidemic effects occurred among indigenous communities in Australia, Oceania and other regions after sustained external contact.

Demographic consequences

  1. High mortality: Epidemics can disproportionately affect children, adults and reproductive-age populations.
  2. Population decline: Repeated outbreaks may drastically reduce small populations.
  3. Disrupted reproduction: Loss of reproductive-age adults and poor maternal health can lower population recovery.
  4. Genetic consequences: Severe population decline may produce a bottleneck, intensifying genetic drift and reducing genetic diversity.

Social and cultural impact

Disease mortality can disrupt:

  • kinship networks;
  • household organization;
  • customary leadership;
  • ritual specialists;
  • intergenerational knowledge transmission.

Loss of elders may be especially damaging where cultural knowledge is predominantly transmitted orally.

Thus:

Epidemic mortality → Demographic loss → Institutional disruption → Cultural vulnerability

Ecological and economic factors

Contemporary infectious-disease burdens are intensified by:

  • deforestation and habitat disturbance;
  • displacement;
  • mining and infrastructure projects;
  • labour migration;
  • inadequate sanitation;
  • poor nutrition;
  • limited access to healthcare.

Such processes increase exposure to malaria, tuberculosis, diarrhoeal diseases and emerging infections.

Biological interaction

Malnutrition and infection often form a reinforcing cycle:

Malnutrition → Reduced immunity → Infection → Reduced nutrient absorption → Further malnutrition

Hence infectious disease cannot be understood independently of subsistence and socioeconomic conditions.

Anthropological significance

An anthropological approach avoids attributing vulnerability simply to “primitive immunity.” It considers:

  • historical isolation;
  • colonial contact;
  • political marginalization;
  • ecological disruption;
  • culturally appropriate healthcare.

Conclusion

Infectious diseases have affected indigenous populations through mortality, demographic collapse, social disorganization and loss of cultural continuity. Effective prevention therefore requires not only biomedical intervention but also nutritional security, ecological protection and culturally accessible healthcare.

2026 Canalization and catch-up growth. 2026 Genetic polymorphism and natural selection. 2026 Numerical chromosomal aberrations can be due to abnormalities in autosomes as well as sex chromosomes. Elaborate in terms of the effects these have on human body, giving suitable examples. 2026 Distinguishing features of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA.

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UPSC Anthropology Optional 2020 — Paper I

28 questions

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10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper I > 7. Culture, language and communication > Language and thought
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10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper I > 10. Human growth and development > Ageing and senescence
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1(d) Victor Turner and Liminality

10 Marks150 words
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