DrRabiah reports on the H1N1 virus.

Author's Note: My twin sister Jhilya, a microbiologist working in medical communications, writes today about some recent developments in the H1N1 pandemic. Still several weeks ahead of the expected seasonal flu peak, the Human-Avian-Swine H1N1 flu has already claimed 1,000 American lives and nearly 5,000 worldwide. Below, an update on recent developments and how to protect yourself.

This past weekend, President Obama declared the H1N1 flu outbreak to be a national emergency. But what exactly does that mean?

Declaring this particular flu situation as a national emergency means that the Department of Health and Human Services can use alternate strategies for identifying and treating patients who may need care (for example setting up alternate treatment sites and adjusting triage protocols to meet the needs of a community). It's somewhat similar to when an emergency is declared after a hurricane, tornado or other natural disaster.

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Kandy334 encourages you to write this month.

It's that time of year! No, not the time of year where it gets cold and snowy! The time of year that National Novel Writing Month starts. I know there are a few of you out there that LOVE writing. Young writers, here is your chance to write a minimum of 10,000 words! As for the adults, you'll be writing 50,000! Of course, you can write more. Release your inner novelist! Become your character.

At Ywp.NaNoWriMo.org (for young writers), you can sign up to have help writing your novel and to keep track of your word count. Whether you choose to type or use a notebook, they got it covered! Just remember to use your writing-noggin! At ywp.NaNoWriMo, they have Forums, Writer's Resources, and even helpful tips to glide you past that "Uh-oh!" point and make your novels glimmer and shine! They have a "Dare Machine" that will randomly make a dare to add something interesting in your novel. Example: "We dare you to create a character with a huge nest of hair on his or her head that creatures live in." Sounds weird, right? But stuff like that can make the novel more creative! Sounds fun, hmm? It is paradise for young writers only!

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