More detailed description of "Cool Vaccines", an interactive SL exhibit that illustrates the real-life challenges of getting vaccines out to children who are exposed to life-threatening diseases.

INSPIRATION:

Vaccines that prevent life-threatening childhood illnesses must be kept cool to remain effective. Our exhibit features PATH's heat-sensitive labeling system for vaccines.

URL:   http://www.path.org/projects/vaccine_vial_monitor.php

PATH developed the vaccine label in conjunction with the World Health
Organization and the TEMPTIME corporation.  The vaccine vial monitor is a small sticker that adheres to the vaccine vial and changes color as the vaccine is exposed to heat. The color tells health workers whether the vaccine is viable (white ) or ruined (black).

DESIGN:

Three interactive venues that allow the avatar to understand and experience the real-life challenges of keeping vaccines cool and getting the vaccines out to children whose lives are being threatened.

1) CENTRAL EXHIBITION-The avatar enjoy images from PATH and learns more about vaccines and the vaccine vial monitor by watching a movie, either as Second Life streaming video or as a FLASH video published on our web site.

2) URBAN CLINIC-The avatar touches a light bulb and triggers a simulation of a power outage where the entire space becomes darker.  The power outage ruins vaccines in a conventional refrigerator, and raises awareness that power outages from rolling blackouts and unintentional outages due to natural disasters or energy overuse can occur anywhere, even in Silicon Valley. There is an invitation to view a UcanTu message where we pose a challenge to devise new ways for storing vaccines.

3) VILLAGE--The avatar becomes a health worker in a rural clinic and experiences the logistical difficulties of transporting vaccines to remote regions. In a village clinic, a vaccine refrigerator contains three vaccine packs, each meant to keep vaccines cool in the field, with their own advantages and disadvantages.

1-Single ice layer-cheap, heats up quickly;

 2-Several layers of ice-lasts longer, more expensive, but heavier to carry;

3-Dry ice--optimal cooling, very expensive and not always available.

The avatar selects a vaccine pack and carries it to a village, but encounters weather conditions that areunpredictable and range from raging heat to freezing cold. The conditions, which are randomized in the exhibit, are : 1) Raging heat and bright sunshine; 2) Cloudy and cool; 3) Rainy; 4) Freezing cold and snowing.  The vaccine pack and  weather state variables pass messages through an invisible channel to determine whether the cooling method is adequate for a given weather condition.  PATH's color label signals whether the vaccines are viable or spoiled.  The avatar can repeat the journey after selecting a different pack to experience the various permutations.  After many trials, the avatar will realize that it can be difficult to plan a vaccine delivery while conserving resources.

There is an invitation to view a Ucantu message where we emphasize that global warming and deforestation seem to be causing harsher and unpredictable weather everywhere. PATH's color-labels can monitor whether the vaccines have survived the journey, but ultimately we need to develop new and inexpensive ways for transporting vaccines.