While some people would come up with other ways of dealing with it, Egyptian pop star Shaaban Abdel Rahim has written a song about swine flu.

Stephan Zielinski has taken a different approach my making music out of coding genes themselves.

The BNF is thing of wonder, listing all the drugs that doctors can prescribe.  For smoking cessation there are QOFs and different strategies available. A new one just came on the market: blogging addiction away. Quitters Blog has been set up towards this end.

Despite increasing numbers of consultations being held it is difficult to find them and know what’s going on. This website has send up an RSS feed so a reader can be used to keep up. However, even relative ‘experts’ in the medical field can become completely confused by all the management-speak used. Simply Understand exists to make it comprehensible, providing unofficial translations.

How exciting Macleod’s has made it into the: MEDICAL CLASSICS Section of The BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL : May 2009. Here are some extracts Clinical Examination by John Macleod

“Despite the book’s title its first mandate is the spoken art of history taking: the importance of an accurate one, the perils of a poor one, and the inexcusable “poor historian”. The most inspiring doctors have breathtaking vision, one moment passively surveying the patient’s entire human condition, the next seamlessly zooming in to the minutiae of their pathology. That is what places this book among the greats, as it trains the reader’s eye to share the same vision. If you wish to pass clinical exams, excel in the teaching of examination skills, and know your Schirmer’s test from your Schober’s, I would strongly recommend this book.”

BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL : May 2009

Take a look at at sample chapter of the new edition here

University of Guelph in Canada researchers investigated whether MRSA and C.difficile could be passed between pet therapy dogs and patients. The findings suggested that MRSA and C. difficile may have been transferred to the fur and paws of these canine visitors through patients handling or kissing the dogs, or through exposure to a contaminated healthcare environment. Read more here

Dog shaking paws. The dog that acquired C.difficile had politely shaken paws with many of the patients. (Credit: iStockphoto)

This is quite funny, or at least I think… have a look if you fancy: http://drawyourdad.com/

In 1976 the US government produced a terrifying video about swine flu, ostensibly to encourage people to  become immunised, although the main upshot may have been scaring everyone who saw it. It can be found here.

Artist Yoriko Yoshida has designed a series of swine flu masks which would prevent transmission of the virus not just by physically blocking its passage, but also by making people stay away from the wearer.

There is a novel diagnostic tool for swine flu online. Try it here. If you need a second opinion, try here.