Health news from around the world.

Making the diagnosis of cancer is only the first step towards establishing the outlook and the best way of caring for a person with cancer. To do this, we usually need to know exactly which parts of the body are affected by cancer and how severely. Depending on what treatments are being considered, it may or may not be advisable to track down every last cancer deposit.

Basically, tests to determine the extent of a cancer should be done only if the results would influence your treatment and care. Keep this in mind when tests are being arranged. Ask your doctor to explain the reasons for the tests he or she recommends, especially if you can’t see what difference their results would make. Some doctors keep arranging more and more tests rather than face up to telling a person that their cancer cannot be cured, or some other unpleasant news. They do this to protect themselves, and at your expense. Don’t let them get away with it. Only agree to tests that are being done for a good reason that you understand.

*88/40/1*

When a doctor makes a diagnosis of measles in a child, many parents ask: Is it German measles or the ordinary kind?

Unfortunately, there is nothing ordinary about measles. It is a serious disorder, with many complications.

German measles, while a mild illness, can cause severe complications in a developing child if a woman contracts it during pregnancy. Let’s have a look at these two disorders which are both labelled “measles”.

German Measles is more properly called rubella and this name should always be used so that no confusion arises between it and measles.

Rubella is a common and mild illness due to a virus. It has an incubation period of between 14 and 21 days.

It can occur at any age, but most infections are contracted in childhood. Nearly 90 per cent of women have had the infection by the time they become pregnant.

There may be a mild illness for a few days but, usually, the rash develops first. It is a fine, discrete, pink rash affecting the face, trunk and limbs. It only lasts a short time, often less than two days.

*63/71/1*