The look of May
As if the weather isn't enough to make you think it's already spring, the look of this year's Majblomma (May Flower) has just been revealed, and this time it comes with wine-red and silver-colored petals and a hot pink center. Over 100 000 Swedish children aged 10-11 will be out in the streets selling the flower come April (sales will commence on April 17). Last year sales of Majblommor reached an all time high, bringing in 52.5 million SEK ($7.7 million). The proceeds help children in families with needs. Read more on The tradition of 'Majblomman'

Poor more likely to die of cancer
The possibility to survive cancer in Sweden has increased among men as well as women, but unfortunately your socioeconomic status does matter. According to Socialstyrelsen (The National Board of Health and Welfare), among men the mortality is 40% higher if you lack money and education compared to if you have a higher socioeconomic status five years after a confirmed cancer diagnosis. The equivalent number for women is 46%. “If you connect this to education, you’ll find that the well-educated get their health needs taken care of earlier, and sometimes also better, than those with lesser education,” says Petra Otterblad-Olausson, director of the department of statistics at Socialstyrelsen. An average of 6000 men and 5500 women in Sweden die 5 years after a cancer diagnosis. According to Socialstyrelsen, 1500 of them could be saved if they’d received care in time. However, mortality also has to do with type of cancer. “It’s a question of accessibility, hours of operation, and how you present yourself to get the entire population to seek help,” Otterblad Olausson continues. This is what the relative mortality rate looks like five years after diagnosis in patients age 30-89 all over Sweden. For people with a basic education only: Men: 36.5% Women: 36.5% College- or university education: Men: 24% Women: 25.2% Source: Socialstyrelsen

More Swedish men take paternity leave
More Swedish men choose to stay at home with their children. Last year the Swedish Social Insurance Services (Försäkringskassan) paid 25 billion SEK ($3.7 billion) in parental benefits (föräldrapenning). That’s 700 million SEK ($103 million) more than in 2010. The number of days that men took for paternity increased with 23.7%, and if this increase continues, it means that by the year 2035 fathers will take out 50% of the entire parental benefit, according to Försäkringskassan (The Swedish Social Insurance Agency). The number of days with temporary parental benefits and for care of a sick child increased by 12% last year.

More Swedes may lose their license
More Swedes risk losing their driver's licenses. As of February 1, the law concerning drivers licenses will change, and medical doctors will be forced to report drivers who are suspected of being unsuitable but refuse to be examined. From now on, a doctor may found his suspicions only on information in journals as a basis for reporting a person. Each year only about 6000 out of probably 60,000 unsuitable car drivers lose their licenses because of illness.