Novelty pen delivers swine flu advice

A Saskatchewan First Nation is using a novelty pen to distribute information to community members about swine flu.

The pen, which is slightly thicker than a standard ball-point, has an internal mechanism that, when pulled, delivers a miniature scroll of paper thatincludes basic health information, in summary form,about the H1N1 flu, as well as information on traditional medicines.

"We need to be prepared," Shirley Bighead, the director of health with the Sturgeon Lake First Nation, told CBC News. "We're always looking for new and innovative ways to get the message across."

Bighead said she had fifty pens in her car, ready to distribute. The goal was to get a pen in the hand of every one of the band members.

The band has a total membership of 2,200. Just over half of them live on reserve lands in the Prince Albert area.