Question

What causes Minamata disease?
1. Deficiency of vitamin D
2. Mercury poisoning
3. Viral infection
4. Deformed gene

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 2 : Mercury poisoning

The correct answer is Mercury poisoning.

• Minamata disease, sometimes referred to as Chisso-Minamata disease, is a neurological syndrome caused by severe mercury poisoning.
• It is methylmercury (MeHg) poisoning that occurred in humans who ingested fish and shellfish contaminated by MeHg discharged in wastewater.
• Symptoms include ataxia, numbness in the hands and feet, general muscle weakness, narrowing of the field of vision, and damage to hearing and speech. 

• Disease caused due to deficiency of vitamin D is rickets in which bones become soft and weak. 
• Viral infections are caused by viruses, a type of microorganism. Examples of diseases caused due to viruses are the common cold, measles, rubella, chickenpox, roseola, smallpox, fifth disease, chikungunya, etc.
• A genetic disorder is a health problem caused by one or more abnormalities in the genome. Some well-known inherited genetic disorders include cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, Tay-Sachs disease, phenylketonuria, and color-blindness, etc.