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99 Ebola cases in past week, nearly two-thirds in Sierra Leone: WHO

GENEVA (Reuters) - Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone reported 99 new confirmed Ebola cases in the week to Feb. 22, down from 128 the previous week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.

Sierra Leone accounted for the bulk of the latest infections with 63, signalling a halt to a steep decline recorded from December through January, followed by Guinea with 35 and Liberia just a single case, the U.N. agency said in its weekly report.

"Cases continue to arise from unknown chains of transmission," the WHO said. Sixteen of the new cases were identified in Guinea and Sierra Leone after post-mortem testing of people who died in the community "indicating that a significant number of individuals are still either unable or reluctant to seek treatment."

In all, more than 23,500 cases have been reported in the three West African countries, with more than 9,500 deaths, since the world's worst outbreak began in December 2013.

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Depo-Provera Linked to Higher HIV Risk

The injectable birth control Depo-Provera is associated with an increased risk of HIV infection in women, according to a review of research in Africa.

Mali declared Ebola free by WHO

Mali is officially free of the Ebola virus, government authorities and the World Health Organization announced on Sunday.

Forty-two days have passed since the country’s last potential Ebola case tested negative on December 6 2014. Ousmane Kone, Mali’s minister of health, declared the outbreak over on Sunday, but said the public should remain vigilant as the risk of Ebola in neighboring countries remains.  

Mali saw its first case of Ebola in October after a two-year-old girl contracted the disease in Guinea, one of the three countries worst-hit by the virus. She began showing symptoms typical of the disease, including bleeding from the nose and shedding bodily fluids, on a 600-mile bus journey back to Mali. Afterwards, the virus spread, infecting eight people and killing six.

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Update from Asia: Fake doctor infects 212 with HIV

55-year-old, Yem Chrin has confessed to reusing needles and operating without a valid license in treating the villagers.

212 people have been found to be HIV positive in the Battambang Province of Cambodia after being treated by an unlicensed doctor, health authorities say.

55-year-old Yem Chrin has confessed to reusing needles and operating without a valid license in treating the villagers.

Chrin has since been charged with spreading the HIV virus to others, brutal murder and operating a medical service without a license.

The 212 infected villagers were discovered after officials tested a total of 1,940 people.

Chrin’s negligence was discovered when children as young as two and elderly citizens as old as 80 tested positive for the disease.

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