In order to reach one of the most at-risk, and, perhaps, most ambivalent, populations in the country, the U.S. Department of Human Health and Human Services issued a call for unique Public Service Announcements that would catch the attention of young people. The solution, it seems, comes in the form of a rap song:

H1N1, swine flu infection, for intervention, I bring prevention…

Dr. John Clarke,  of Baldwin, NY, was chosen of 200 other entries to be the new face of swine flu prevention!  Clarke, who is a PhD by day and online hip-hop artist  by night will soon  be spinning his rhymes on national television as part of the federal government’s push to make younger people aware of what to do to lessen themselves from catching the virus:

Hand sanitizer, I advise you get it — why? It makes germs die when you rub and let it dry…

For students on campus, the virus is a reality they may not think much of — more than 600 were suspected of having the virus as of Friday, university health officials said.

But HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a phone conference with college newspapers last week that when students compare swine flu to seasonal flu, it’s like comparing apples and oranges.

Though thousands of people die every year from seasonal flu, Sebelius said, the age distribution is extremely different. The majority of deaths and hospitalizations that occur during regular flu season from the seasonal flu virus are among people age 65 and older. With H1N1, it is mostly those with health issues — asthma, diabetes, etc — and those between the ages of 5 and 25 that are getting sick. Older people seem to have an immunity to the disease.

So, until the H1N1 vaccine comes out in mid-October, the federal government would like us to do just what Dr. Clarke prescribes:

Don’t touch your eyes, your mouth, your nose, your face — that’s how you get infected so you better play it safe…

Tags: H1N1

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009 at 9:34 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.