Chapter Overview

Life science and human health (जीव विज्ञान एवं मानव स्वास्थ्य) is the biology half of general science at roughly Class 10 level, plus the public health programmes that put it to work. Prelims Paper I asks crisp one-line facts (organelles, glands, vitamins, vectors, vaccine types, disease-elimination milestones). Mains P-IV (GS-II) asks short explanations and analytical answers on malnutrition, communicable and non-communicable diseases and immunisation. Chhattisgarh adds a strong local angle: falciparum malaria in Bastar, a high sickle cell burden, tribal malnutrition and the mitanin model of community health.

What You’ll Learn

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

Name the cell organelles and their jobs, and distinguish mitosis from meiosis
Explain the human digestive, circulatory, respiratory, excretory, nervous and endocrine systems, including blood groups and hormones
Match vitamins and minerals with their deficiency diseases and read malnutrition indicators (stunting, wasting, underweight) from NFHS-5
Classify diseases by pathogen and vector, and state India’s disease-elimination status with dates (as of 2026)
Explain innate and adaptive immunity, active and passive immunity, and the main types of vaccines
Describe India’s health and immunisation programmes (NHM, Ayushman Bharat, UIP, Mission Indradhanush, the 2026 HPV campaign) and write Mains answers with a Chhattisgarh angle

Prerequisites

Class 9–10 science (cells, tissues, food and health). No mathematics is needed.
Chemistry in Everyday Life — acids, enzymes and pH, useful for digestion.

Learning Path

Follow the topics in this order:

graph TD
    A["1. Cell and Human Body Systems
organelles, blood, heart,
hormones"] --> B["2. Nutrition and Deficiency Diseases
vitamins, minerals, NFHS-5,
nutrition programmes"]
    B --> C["3. Communicable Diseases and
Health Programmes
vectors, elimination status,
sickle cell, NCDs"]
    C --> D["4. Vaccines and Immunity
antibodies, vaccine types,
UIP, HPV 2026"]
    D --> E["5. Quick Revision
One-page sheet"]
    E --> F["Next chapter:
Computers and IT"]

Topics in This Chapter

#	Topic	What it covers
1	Cell and Human Body Systems	Cell theory, organelles, prokaryotes vs eukaryotes, mitosis and meiosis, tissues; digestion, blood and blood groups, heart, breathing, kidneys, brain, endocrine glands, bones and eye
2	Nutrition and Deficiency Diseases	Nutrients, vitamins and minerals with deficiency diseases, kwashiorkor and marasmus, stunting and wasting (NFHS-5), anaemia, ICDS, POSHAN Abhiyaan, Anaemia Mukt Bharat, fortified rice, Mukhyamantri Suposhan Abhiyan
3	Communicable Diseases and Health Programmes	Pathogens and routes, vector-borne diseases, malaria and Malaria Mukt Bastar, TB, leprosy, HIV, elimination status (as of 2026), sickle cell mission, NCDs, NHM, Ayushman Bharat, mitanins
4	Vaccines and Immunity	Innate and adaptive immunity, B and T cells, antibody classes, active and passive immunity, allergy and autoimmunity, vaccine types, COVID-19 vaccines, cold chain, UIP, Mission Indradhanush, HPV campaign 2026
—	Quick Revision	Every fact, date and match-pair on one page

Where It Is Asked

Paper	What to expect
Prelims P-I (Part 1, India GS)	One-line and match-the-following MCQs: organelle–function, gland–hormone–disorder, vitamin–disease, disease–pathogen–vector, vaccine type, antibody class; statement-based questions on elimination status and health schemes, where dates decide the answer
Mains P-IV (GS-II), science section	Short answers (60 words: mitosis vs meiosis, herd immunity, hidden hunger, elimination vs eradication) and longer answers (150–200 words: malnutrition in tribal Chhattisgarh, UIP evaluation, communicable vs non-communicable disease burden)

Exam focus

High-yield: blood groups (O gives, AB takes); master gland vs largest gland; ADEK fat-soluble vitamins; mosquito–disease pairs; active vs passive immunity; live vs inactivated vaccines; UIP (1985) and Mission Indradhanush (2014).
Date-sensitive (as of 2026): kala-azar threshold met in 2023 but WHO validation pending; trachoma validated October 2024; HPV campaign launched 28 February 2026; TB target of 2025 not met; filariasis target 2027; malaria elimination 2030; sickle cell 2047.
Chhattisgarh angle for Mains: Malaria Mukt Bastar Abhiyan (2020), sickle cell burden and the 2023 national mission, NFHS-5 stunting and anaemia in the Bastar division, the mitanin programme (2002), Mukhyamantri Suposhan Abhiyan and Haat Bazaar Clinics (both 2 October 2019).

Quick Reference: The Chapter at a Glance

Area	Must-know facts
Cell	Hooke 1665; mitochondria = powerhouse; ribosomes = proteins; lysosome = suicide bag; 46 chromosomes
Blood	RBC about 120 days; O− universal donor, AB+ universal recipient; Rh 1940; clotting needs vitamin K and calcium
Glands	Pituitary = master gland; thyroid = iodine, goitre; insulin from beta cells; liver = largest gland
Vitamins	A night blindness; B1 beriberi; B3 pellagra; C scurvy; D rickets; K clotting
Malnutrition	Stunting (height-for-age, chronic) vs wasting (weight-for-height, acute); NFHS-5 India stunting 35.5%
Vectors	Anopheles malaria; Aedes dengue, chikungunya, Zika; Culex filariasis, JE; sandfly kala-azar
Elimination	Polio 2014, MNT 2015, yaws 2016, trachoma 2024; smallpox eradicated 1980
Immunity	IgG crosses placenta; IgE allergy; anti-venom = artificial passive; vaccine = artificial active
Programmes	ICDS 1975; UIP 1985; NHM 2005/2013; Mission Indradhanush 2014; Ayushman Bharat 2018; sickle cell mission 2023; HPV campaign 2026

Start Learning

Begin with the first topic:

→ Cell and Human Body Systems