Medical News Wrap Up

The biggest medical news stories from this week.

News

Fake HIV negative certificates can be bought in Ugandan Clinics

In private clinics in Kampala sell fake negative HIV certificates due to the stigma of the disease and the limitations of getting a job with HIV.

HIV rates were at 18.5% in 1992, dropping to 6.3% in 2005 and had gone up to 7.2% by 2012.

There's been an Ebola Outbreak in Guinea

86 people have died in Guinea recently due to an outbreak of ebola. There is no current cure or vaccine for Ebola. Ebola causes membranes to break down in the body which causes a lot of bleeding. Some strains are more dangerous than others.

Statistics

Scarlet Fever cases have reached the largest weekly peak since 1982. 

There were 883 cases this week. There has been a higher outbreak of Scarlet Fever in 2014 than in previous years; from weeks 5-8 of this year there were 868 reported cases, compared to an average of 444 from the previous four years.

Scarlet Fever is caused by the bacteria Streptococcus progenies. It is a red-pink rash that feels like sandpaper. It is extremely infectious, however it is much milder now due to the treatment by antibiotics.

Picture from NHS Website