Doctor Raps About Swine Flu

By Jordan Lite

Dr. Dre might want to take a listen to Dr. John Clarke.

The family doc and hip-hop aficionado is rapping against swine flu in a new public service announcement (PSA) from the federal government. His “health hop” video beat out more than 200 entries in a PSA contest and is on national television as part of Uncle Sam’s effort to reduce the spread of the virus, also known as H1N1.

Click on the video below to see Dr. John Clarke's swine flu rap.



Dressed in his white doctor’s coat and sunglasses, Clarke, 38, raps the basics of flu prevention: Wash your hands, scrub away germs with hand sanitizer, stay home if you’re sick and cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze. Oh, and don’t stick your fingers in your eyes, nose or mouth.

“If you think you’re infected, seek attention/If you have it stay at home, so you don’t spread none/Use tissues when you sneeze, ‘cause you could spread some/‘Cause coughed up germs is where it spreads from!” Clarke raps.

You can also protect yourself by getting both the seasonal flu shot and the new vaccine against H1N1, which will be available next month, says the Department of Health and Human Services. Experts recommend that pregnant women, caretakers of babies younger than 6 months, health-care workers and people ages 6 months to 24 years old get the swine flu vaccine. It’s also recommended for people with certain immune-compromising conditions, including cancer and HIV/AIDS.

When he’s not treating employees of the Long Island Railroad, where he’s the medical director, Clarke moonlights as a musician. He’s produced six health-themed hip hop albums that he calls “health hop,” on everything from safe sex, drug use, eating disorders and mental health. Clarke penned the swine flu rap at the behest of his wife, a registered nurse.

He’ll donate his $2,500 prize to Shriners Hospital for Children, which provides free care to kids.

Despite the new attention on his musical talents, Clarke says he’s keeping his day job. And while he hasn’t ruled out collaborating with any household names in the hip-hop world, he says the sexist and violent lyrics in much of mainstream rap conflicts with his message.

“I haven’t been contacted by anyone,” he says. “A lot of rap that’s considered good, the messages are contradictory to what I talk about. Hopefully with this, it will inspire young people to write about positive things.”