Will the swine flu epidemic emanating from Mexico be the next great pandemic that everyone fears? It is hard to say. The Mexican government seems to be doing all it can to limit the spread of the infection, and travel advisories attest that other governments are taking this seriously as well. The high number of deaths in Mexico is worrisome, but the low number of hospitalizations elsewhere is encouraging. With significant trade and travel, if this is the start of a new pandemic, it is likely that this virus will spread faster than any previous pandemic.

Daniel Bennett and his colleagues have posted an interesting working paper on the effect of physician competition on antibiotic prescribing practices. The paper argues that competition among medical providers makes some physicians prescribe