This week sees the launch of the BMJ’s first Christmas appeal. The money we hope to raise will go to Medécins Sans Frontières. They provide an invaluable service in some of the toughest parts of the world, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe. MSF staff and volunteers deal daily with extraordinary personal risks and practical clinical challenges. We recently reported on David Notts, who operated on a boy in the Democratic Republic of Congo using instructions sent by text message. If you would like to donate to the BMJ’s Christmas appeal then please visit http://www.msf.org.uk/bmjappeal

The paper about social networks and the spread of happiness continues to be the most read article on bmj.com with 17,821 viewers. Another article by one of the authors of that paper, Nicholas A Christakis, received a large amount of press coverage. He writes about the precautions that his children’s school is taking to prevent any child having an allergic reaction to nuts, and argues that we are all overreacting to the risk that nut allergies pose.

Most read:

Dynamic spread of happiness in a large social network
Happiness, social networks, and health
Warm-up programme to prevent injuries in young female footballers
Doctor is cleared of manslaughter for prescribing penicillin to man who said he was allergic
Commentary: Understanding social network analysis

Most commented:

Should smoking in outside public spaces be banned?
How should health be defined?
This allergies hysteria is just nuts
The last wish of a patient with end stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
What should clinicians do when faced with conflicting recommendations?

BMJ in the news:

Is fear of nut and other food allergies creating hysteria? The Canadian Press
Warning of nut allergy ‘hysteria’ BBC News
Warm-up exercises cuts injuries by a third Telegraph.co.uk
’11+’ reduces severe female football injuries by almost a half Fifa.com
Smoking should be banned outside, researchers suggest Telegraph.co.uk
Allergic Reactions Uncommon with Cervical Cancer Vaccine Cancer Consultants – CancerConsultations.com
Death on Mount Everest: The perils of the descent Scientific American

BMJ in blogs:

Doc Diagnoses Our Nut-Phobic Society With Mass Hysteria, By Eliza Strickland
Nuts to Nut Nutters, By archiearchive FCD
School bus evacuated over peanut, By Trevor Butterworth
UK Minister of Food, By Skinny Chef
Exercise On Prescription Improves Health And Quality Of Life …
Why More Climbers Die On Everest, By catorphake(catorphake)

Juliet Walker, is the editorial intern, BMJ.