Human Practices Overview

Our human practice initiative consists of three main parts. Firstly, we launched a public campaign as a part of our human practice activities in order to give information on MRSA to the general public: this information include the definition of MRSA, its causes, how people are infected, the symptoms, the available treatments, etc. We have developed information booklets and distributed it on streets, schools, and nursing homes. All members have tried best to let as many people as possible know of the threat of MRSA.

Secondly, we participated in the efforts of hospitals and clinics in their efforts of preventing nosocomial infections. We interviewed doctors and got valuable observations on the MRSA infection control system and realized the seriousness of the possibility of the infection. We talked to nurses and doctors, and they said they would try their best to awaken their surroundings to not forget the necessary procedures. Many hospitals in Korea have tight infection control regimes as strict as that of the CDC’s in the U.S, but not all of the medical staff follow, or even know about this. Non-professional staffs such as caregivers and cleaning workers were not given sufficient information about the dangers. We focused on those people and explained the dangers of MRSA and how to avoid it.

Thirdly, our public awareness efforts include promotion of iGEM, Elan Vital, and MRSA in schools. Enhancing interests among high school students in iGEM will lead to their realization of value of human life and well being and social responsibility of scientists. Informing students about synthetic biology and iGEM will increase the interest in those areas, and that will lead to an increase in public awareness of biology and medicine, as well as the iGEM competition. More information about MRSA will help school students prepare better against MRSA. MRSA is very infectious, and is a serious hazard in crowded areas. By warning school students and staff of the dangers of MRSA, we could help in the prevention of MRSA in schools. Also, students will spread the word about the dangers of MRSA, causing their friends and family to be extra careful with the prevention of such infections.

All members of Elan Vital participated in the three principle activities. However, for the effective management of the project, we formed sub-groups and allocated individual tasks to each member. We conducted planned tasks alone and together depending on the situation.