Guess what the Graph Shows!

[Lianachan]

"of cases"? So the decline of some illness or other in the adult population?

[Arneb]

Yes, and in children, counted separately.

[Lance]

Anything to do with birth rates?

Nope. I would surely hope we don't have measureable birth rates in people under 15.

Well, it is a measurable statistic world wide. Granted that it is mostly in low income countries but I would think you'd have at least a part of it.

Eh, it was just a guess anyway. I claim no proficiency at this game.

[Мастер]

HIV

[Arneb]

No.

[MM_Dandy]

Mono?

[tubeswell]

Polio?

[Lance]

Ebola?

Some STD?

[Arneb]

None of the above.

When talking about "my neck of the woods", meant "Germany".

Hmm, which disease is being steadily reduced in highly industrialized countries but somehow refuses to go away?

[MM_Dandy]

Is it viral?

[Lance]

Rubella!

[tubeswell]

Cancer!

[Lance]

Exclamation Point!

[Arneb]

tubes, cancer is so NOT going a way, sadly.

Rubella makes sense, but it's not that - a law mandating the reporting of Rubella cases has only come into effect in 2013 in Germany, so there is no way you would have such exact numbers before that.

Hint: the raw number in the box is really a total number of cases for 2012 for the entire country sporting about 80 million people.

[Мастер]

So World Bank reports 5.6 cases per 100,000 of tuberculosis. 80 million is 800 times 100,000, and 800 times 5.6 is 4,240.

Tuberculosis? (And you're a respiratory doctor, aren't you?)

[Lianachan]

Gonococcal urethritis?
Streptococcal ballinitis?
Meningo myelitis? Diplococcal cephalitis?
Epididymitis?
Interstitial keratitis?
Syphilitic choroiditis, or anterior uveitiiiiiiiiiiiis?

Read more: Monty Python - Medical Love Song Lyrics | MetroLyrics

[Arneb]

Gonococcal urethritis?
Streptococcal ballinitis?
Meningo myelitis? Diplococcal cephalitis?
Epididymitis?
Interstitial keratitis?
Syphilitic choroiditis, or anterior uveitiiiiiiiiiiiis?

Read more: Monty Python - Medical Love Song Lyrics | MetroLyrics

You smutty little brain, you.

[Arneb]

So World Bank reports 5.6 cases per 100,000 of tuberculosis. 80 million is 800 times 100,000, and 800 times 5.6 is 4,240.

Tuberculosis? (And you're a respiratory doctor, aren't you?)

Right on both counts.
Isn't it fun when the numbers finally do add up?
Just to be as nitpicky as possible, the numbers are new cases - the figures given are the total incidence for 2012, and the relative incidences through the last decade. Counting all cases that exist is called prevalence. For short-term illnesses like most infections, incidence is the more meaningful figure. However, since TB can last well over a year, TB prevalence is meaningful as well, at least in the developing world, where untreated orunsuccessfully treated TB is a relevant burden on the health care system.

I'm at work right now, I'll say something about my motivations for this graph later.

Meanwhile, Mactep is up!

[Arneb]

Ok, here's the thing: TB has to be "my" disease as a luing specialist. We are giving extensive training, we revere the doyens of the field, and we all know howTB was turned from the bane of man into a manageable disease that, in a good part of the world, ceases to be a public health problem. We all learn this heroic story in our training and, given multidrug- or extensive drug resistant TB coupled with the HIV epidemic, we are all expecting TB to snap back any time (to be blunt: It'll probabbly happen, during our lfetimes. Don't put too large a bet on not dying of it).

The curve in our loveley little Germany (note to Lianachan: You are very welcome here and the Scotch North British whisky is as widely available as it is affordable, dure to more lenient taxes) has been steadily going down, but slower and slower. Somwhow, we all expect this to be the trough. This is illustrated in the next graph (for your interest, not as a riddle): Thios is the kind of happy little island we live on, and it gives me pause (in the eyes of the WHO, Kamtchatka and Vladivostok are Europe, btw. )

[Мастер]

(in the eyes of the WHO, Kamtchatka and Vladivostok are Europe, btw. )

And a country which is almost 70% larger than Europe (as more typically defined) is all one colour, but it is important to paint Bosnia and Montenegro in different colours :)

[Arneb]

Exactly. All those little countries and their silly ideas of indep... Oh, , uh-oh

[Lianachan]

Exactly. All those little countries and their silly ideas of indep... Oh, , uh-oh

[tubeswell]

Mactep - U da Mayin

[Мастер]

[tubeswell]

Half boost frequency response of a well-known brand of guitar amplifier speaker?