Different activities in the name of science
A health parcour consisting of various stations drew attention to relevant topics. And no, there were no endless rows of booths with blank flyers. That would be far too banal for our dedicated team. So we put together a varied program to convey important health prevention topics and combined it with exciting activities for both young and old.
For the little ones
Let's start with the youngest of our guests. The children embarked on an adventure with Jet, our in-house travel superhero. He explained how to best prepare for a journey. Why do we need mosquito repellent? What are malaria tablets? What is rabies? After the most important questions had been clarified, a chase ensued: the nasty mosquito, disguised by our Business Manager Jenny Crawford, tried to catch the children, which she succeeded in doing after a lot of perseverance and commitment. Fortunately, the little guests were provided with "malaria tablets" in the form of Smarties beforehand, thus ensuring that everyone came back from their adventurous journey healthy and happy.
Free tick vaccination
Another insect that is difficult to deal with, even in Switzerland, is the tick. No one wants to get infected with tick-borne encephalitis (TBE for short); it can cause fever, aching limbs and even meningitis, among other things. The good news: there is a vaccine! The even better news: at the ODD, we provided free TBE vaccinations to ensure that patients are optimally protected for their next trip into nature. This offer was gladly taken up by many visitors, much to our satisfaction.
Prevention has many faces
Speaking of ‘protection’ – what is the best way to protect yourself against sexually transmitted infectious diseases while traveling? Despite its ubiquity, sexual health is still a taboo subject, even in travel medicine. For this reason, education is enormously important to prevent infections. At our booth ‘Sex in the City and everywhere’, visitors were quizzed on their knowledge around protection and were informed that condoms are not the only form of protection against HIV. If you are wondering about other ways one can protect themselves, you can find more information about HIV prophylaxis here.
Memories and visions of the future
Those wanting to catch some fresh air or enjoy the sun during the ODD made the most of our photo-booth next to the exit. With a variety of clothes to try on, the photo-booth proved to be a popular spot. The scout group, which sold cakes and other treats, also came by and took creative photos of themselves. Even a prominent Swiss personality let himself be photographed by the photo-booth (as befits a star). But it remains our little secret who it was...
Every photo becomes a souvenir. We can look at it and revel in past moments. But how can we see into the future? Our divination expert Madame Selma showed, through her art of card reading (and with a strong wink), what the coming time holds for us. Some smile at it, others swear by it. The offer to dive into the magical and mystical world of divination was eagerly taken up. After all, what is there to lose?
Those who prefer to rely on facts, however, could count on the fact that our laboratory team carried out free blood group tests correctly and with quick results. Sooner or later, we all want to know exactly what kind of blood is flowing through our veins. And whilst we are on the topic, don't forget to donate blood!
Still a topic: the pandemic
Not to be forgotten were the various exciting presentations in our Covid-19 vaccination tent, where we have already vaccinated thousands of people against the Corona virus and continue to do so. How EBPI became an important center for Corona research and vaccination was explained to us by our experts Céline Moser, Ronja Fierz and Dominik Menges. They lead different teams of the Corona Center and understand better than most the level of adaptability and teamwork, internally and externally, was needed to ensure a smooth operation.
The final lecture was given by infectiologist and EBPI researcher, Jan Fehr, together with medical historian Flurin Condrau, physician Hella Scotland, and Head of the Office of Health at the Health Department of the Canton of Zurich, Peter Indra. They shared and discussed their views on the pandemic followed by an engaging Q&A that allowed visitors to exchange and dialogue with the experts.
For the small or big hunger
Those that felt hungry after the exciting lecture went directly outside to the food truck of the Rüsterei. The aroma of delicious burgers, hot dogs and fries came in combination with a few warm rays of sunshine. How could one resist?
Seated and satisfied, we strolled around the building to the walk-in female breast clinic. The Swiss Cancer League showed our guests what cancer looks like in a female breast, where tumor cells can form and what methods there are for early detection and treatment.
Brains were not enough: you also needed luck
Stamp cards offered the opportunity to win prizes such as a bicycle worth CHF 2000, an annual ticket for the Zurich Zoo or a sports subscription for the city of Zurich. After completing and collecting the stamps at different spots, they were put into a tombola container. The lucky winners were announced at the end of the ODD – to whoever won the bike, we wish you a lot of fun and joy with it! But for the sake of your health, please ride with a helmet!
These were just a few select anecdotes from this year's Open Door Day. There is so much more to discuss, but even the most exciting and beautiful day has to end. Therefore, we say goodbye to you and hope that you will pay us a visit again in 4 years time at the next ODD. It remains exciting to see what new questions about the health our society will be asking then. We are already looking forward to it!
