The Halloween "Demo" and H1N1 Trick-or-Treating 

Forty-seven days before I turn 50, I must interrupt my mission to destroy my industry's worship of the 18-49 audience demo, to bring you urgent health news. Today, we're all part of the same demo. The Halloween demo. And there's valuable advice to spread on how to proceed during this first H1N1 Halloween.

The advice comes from my CNN colleague, senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen. Elizabeth is not a germophobe. She's always struck me as fairly laid back about these matters. Which is why she caught my attention on CNN's Campbell Brown last night with this very graphic advice:

"No grubby little paws in the bucket this Halloween. I'm handing out candy with gloves, and offering sanitizer squirts."

I hope, on this first H1N1 Halloween, that the Elizabeth Cohen method becomes, as they say on the web, viral.