If only syphilis was really this cute! Win a dose in time for Christmas

Was Rudolf’s red nose caused by the common cold? Did ‘Mommy’ contract Epstein–Barr virus from kissing Santa Claus? Did Frosty the Snowman harbour cholera?

From such questions it would seem Christmas and disease go hand-in-hand and while we at in-Pharmatechnologist, Outsourcing-Pharma and Biopharma-Reporter wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season, we want to give you a variety of festive viruses courtesy of our friends at Giantmicrobes.com​.

We have cute and cuddly versions of some of your favourite microorganisms to dish out, including the pox, the common cold and cancer. If only such diseases were this adorable in real life we’d all be nurturing them rather than developing drugs to destroy them!

Simply estimate how many drugs have been prescribed so far in 2014 in the North Pole.

OK, to give you a hand, we’re talking about the town of North Pole, Alaska. With its Christmas-themed attractions including Santa Claus’ house, the town attracts tourists galore on top of the 2,210 permanent residents.

So according to Richard Holm, Manager of North Pole Prescription Lab and Compounding Pharmacy, how many subscriptions have been filled this year? Submit your answer below and the entrants closest to the correct figure will be alerted by email.

NOTE - THE COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED​