OSAP launches movie-related "Contagion" Contest

The new movie "Contagion" is being marketed as a big-budget thriller about the rapid spread of a new infectious disease, but for The Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP), the film's launch is a teachable moment and a major opportunity to raise awareness of how proper infection control procedures can help prevent the movie's fictional story from becoming prescient to a real-world catastrophe.

With that in mind, OSAP has added a new page to its website at www.osap.org where visitors can take an infection control quiz, download free educational materials, find links to influenza resources and even watch the "Contagion" movie trailer. Additionally, OSAP is holding a Contagion contest asking people to list three actions to be taken immediately upon learning a pandemic outbreak was imminent. There are prizes for the first 100 entrants and one entrant will even win free registration for the three-day 2012 OSAP Symposium in Atlanta along with a VIP tour of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Good luck to all those who enter, and don't forget to wash your hands.

Read the full press release below.

OSAP Launches Contest Based on Contagion Movie

ANNAPOLIS, MD-September 9, 2011- You shake a hand, pass a credit card, or touch a door handle. In an instant, a lethal virus can be transmitted. That is the premise of Contagion, the new movie about a global pandemic. The Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP) is marking today’s movie release by launching a contest to get people thinking about infection prevention. In answer to Contagion’s tag line, “Nothing spreads like fear,” OSAP responds: “Nothing protects like good infection prevention and control procedures.”

To participate in the Contagion contest, entrants must answer the question “What three actions would you (or your office) take immediately if you learned a pandemic was imminent?” The first 100 entrants will receive a free “Wash Your Hands” luggage grip. One lucky entrant will be chosen to receive a free registration for the three-day 2012 OSAP Symposium “Connecting to Drive Compliance” in Atlanta along with a VIP tour of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The new Contagion page on the OSAP website features an infection prevention IQ test to see how much you know about influenza and its spread. The site also offers free online educational toolkits, links to maps showing current outbreaks, pandemic influenza resources, and additional movie tie-in materials such as posters, activities, and the movie trailer. Go to www.osap.org and click on the Contagion icon to access the materials or to enter the contest. Contagion contest entries must be received by October 15, 2011.

“The new Warner Brothers movie serves up the perfect ‘teachable moment’”, says Therese Long, OSAP’s Executive Director. “Let’s use the power of the big screen to start a conversation about infection prevention. Now is the time to dust off our knowledge and prevention strategies because as CDC says, ‘Not only could this happen, CDC scientists are working 24/7 to find out if it’s happening right now’.”

For the latest infection control information, guidelines and resources visit www.OSAP.org.

About OSAP

The Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention is the world’s leading membership association exclusively dedicated to preventing disease transmission and ensuring the safe delivery of oral healthcare for all. As a non-profit organization, OSAP helps dental practitioners close the gap between policy and practice. Its members include dental and other healthcare professionals, consultants, researchers and non-governmental organizations, manufacturing and distribution companies, policy makers and academia. For more information, visit www.OSAP.org.