I am now working in the department of ear, nose and throat (ENT) and I have come across my all time favourite medical saying: “A thyroid is like a lady’s handbag – you never know what you might find!” This was said with glee by one of my consultants during a thyroidectomy. His point being […]
Tom Nolan: Swine flu estimated to be 100 times more virulent than seasonal flu
PLOS Currents: Influenza is a journal with a difference. Mixing features of a journal with those of blogs and discussion forums it’s bound to ruffle some feathers. It describes itself as “a moderated collection for rapid and open sharing of useful new scientific data, analyses, and ideas.” Contributions are not peer reviewed other than for […]
Tom Nolan: The flu will be back after the break
Two swine flu call centres in England will close on Sunday with the loss of 1200 jobs reports The Guardian. Demand for Tamiflu has plummeted: it peaked on 27 July with nearly 39,000 authorisations for the use of Tamiflu while on 16 August there were only 3396. According to the HPA there were only 11,000 new […]
Louise Kenny: Two men down and a ’99 flake
I’ve spent the last week relaxing in Antigua, Guatemala, hauling myself through 6 hours of Spanish lessons a day in a last minute attempt to quell the panic before I start work. I’ve discovered that learning to take a history in Spanish is somewhat like those 3rd year days of worrying; what came after the […]
Joe Collier: How spells and trances aid learning
Over the years I have sat through plenty of lectures that have been plain awful. There have also been those which simply glued me to my seat, where time flew by, where information just flowed in, and after which there was a glow of satisfaction. […]
Helen Macdonald on swabs, tips, and a flu game
Is there anything new about swine flu? The Department of Health update revealed an interesting finding this week. The Guardian reports; “One of the odder aspects of the latest data is that only 10% of those who sought help from a GP or the National Pandemic Flu helpline and subsequently took a swab test actually […]
Richard Smith: Sixty years of discoveries in nutrition
Imagine being at the 60th anniversary of an organization and hearing from the first head of the organisation. It seems impossible, but I’ve just had that experience – listening to Nevin Scrimshaw, aged 91, describe the challenge and the excitement of the early days of the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP). […]
Richard Smith feels the shame of the monoglot
Today I feel deeply the shame of a monoglot. I’m at a meeting in Guatemala, and the organisers of a meeting of perhaps 200 people have had to hire two translators—for the benefit of me and one American. And tomorrow he departs, meaning that the two translators will be working just for me. How pathetic. […]
Tom Nolan on historic flu remedies
Last week we learnt who will be offered the vaccine against swine flu first. Priority groups include people in high risk groups age between 6 months and 65 years, pregnant women, household contacts of immune-compromised people, and clinical staff. […]
Syed Shah on being the first case of influenza A/H1N1 in the United Arab Emirates
I had the honor of being the first case reported officially from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It was 3 am on Sunday, 17th May when I arrived at Dubai Airport, via Calgary and Heathrow, after spending a week with my family in Saskatoon, Canada. Later that day I returned to my department at the […]