SC Johnson Combats Malaria

It’s estimated that over half of the world’s population is at risk for malaria. For many families, protecting themselves from this disease is a daily concern, with children under five being the most vulnerable group.

Product innovation

SC Johnson has developed spatial repellent products aimed to address challenges of coverage, cost, and access. The products, Mosquito Shield™ and Guardian™, can be distributed to hard-to-access areas at low cost, providing additional protection to families who need it most. 

SC Johnson and Tanzania are giving the company’s two innovative spatial repellents, Mosquito Shield™ and Guardian™, to at-risk populations through global public health partners at no cost. The initiative comes as the company is in the process of obtaining World Health Organization policy recommendations for the two tools – a catalysing action point that would accelerate critical partnerships and funding in support of large-scale distribution efforts. 

 

Repels Mosquito Vectors of Disease

Efficacy tests indicate spatial repellents significantly reduce bites from mosquitoes that may carry disease, including ones that transmit:

  • Malaria
  • Dengue Fever
  • Zika
  • Other neglected tropical diseases

About Mosquito Shield™ and  Guardian™

  • SC Johnson’s innovative spatial repellent products are low-cost and easy to use. 
  • They require minimal handling and can be hung in semi-enclosed and enclosed spaces.
  • The products repel mosquitos in and provide protection for up to a month (Mosquito Shield™) or up to eight months (Guardian™). 
  • Both products have completed a series of clinical trials in Indonesia and Peru and are currently enrolled in clinical trials in Kenya and Mali – to-date results indicate that they are both effective at preventing mosquito bites and reducing disease. 
Mosquito Shield™ Spatial Repellent
Guardian™ Spatial Repellent

The Mosquito Shield™ spatial repellent, developed by a dedicated team in 2017, is an easy-to-use product that can help protect a semi-enclosed or enclosed space from mosquitoes without requiring electricity or a flame to work. It has been through trials in Indonesia and Peru, with promising results, and is now in large-scale clinical trials funded by UNITAID in Kenya, Mali and Sri Lanka. 

 

 

 


Guardian™ Spatial Repellent is a transfluthrin-based spatial repellent that lasts for up to eight months once opened. Guardian™ is made from 3D mesh fabric sealed in a PET cage, pretreated with 2500 mg of the active ingredient transfluthrin. The product is hermetically sealed in a pouch and stable over time at elevated temperature and humidity. 

As a family company, SC Johnson recognizes that fighting this deadly disease requires the work of many people, which is why we have partnered with NGOs, health organizations and local community members to ensure we are making the greatest impact when it comes to preventing the spread of malaria.

Below you can read more about some of our partners who are critical in this work. It takes a family to end malaria.

Formed in 2002, The Global Fund has disbursed more than US$55.4 billion in the fight against HIV, TB and malaria and has supported programs that have saved 50 million lives to date.

The Global Fund is also the leading funding agency in global health, providing 63% of all international financing for malaria programs, and has invested more than $16.4 billion in malaria control programs as of June 2022.

SC Johnson is one of the newest members to join the Fund’s Private Sector Constituency (PSC), and plays a guiding role in providing technical know-how, shaping policies and priorities, and representing the private sector in Fund board meetings.

The UN Foundation is a strategic partner of the United Nations, bringing together the ideas, people, and resources needed to drive global progress and tackle urgent problems. The organization seeks to create lasting change while innovating to address humanity’s greatest challenges.

In 2020, SC Johnson, the United Nations Foundation, and the MENTOR Initiative teamed up to strengthen burdened healthcare systems by providing access to hygiene tools and education. Together, we supplied disinfectant kits to 100 health facilities that serve 2 million residents living in the most crisis-affected communities in Borno State. These kits have helped medical workers who frequently treat patients or highly contagious diseases like cholera, measles and more recently, COVID-19, prevent disease transmission inside their facilities.

The MENTOR Initiative acts in some of the world’s most austere and vulnerable communities, who are often devastated and forgotten. Regardless of race, creed or nationality, MENTOR strives to deliver disease control to populations at greatest risk of suffering and death. The MENTOR Initiative saves lives in emergencies through tropical disease control and then stays to help people recover from crises with dignity, working side-by-side with communities, health workers and health authorities to leave a lasting impact.

In partnership with the MENTOR initiative, SC Johnson has donated and distributed Mosquito Shield™ to combat the rise of CL in conflict settings in Syria. These single sheets are hung up in the home to provide a portable, simple and stable tool for protection against flying insects. To date, we’ve collectively protected 76,000 people in Syria and Yemen with Mosquito Shield™ through this effort.

The University of Notre Dame is one of America’s leading undergraduate teaching institutions and has been at the forefront of research and scholarship in the health sector and beyond. In 2014, SCJ partnered with the University of Notre Dame and the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to test their Mosquito Shield™ in a trial in Indonesia. In 2014, the University of Notre Dame team, in cooperation with the University of California Davis and U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit Six, led another clinical trial of Mosquito Shield™ based in Peru and the study found that the production appeared to reduce Aedes-borne virus infections rates by an estimated 34%

Now, using what we’ve learned, an optimized version of the Mosquito Shield™ will be used in large-scale clinical trials funded by UNITAID in Kenya, Mali, and Sri Lanka.

Society for Family Health (SFH) Rwanda was established in 2012 to improve the health of the Rwandan communities. SFH provides communities with readily accessible life-saving products, accurate health information, and services that empower communities to make informed and healthy choices. Their major interventions are centered on promotion of behavior change practices through innovation in health communication and social marketing in many areas including, malaria prevention.

In 2016, SC Johnson began a partnership with the Rwanda Ministry of Health and the Society for Family Health-Rwanda. Working together in the first year, the group committed to building 10 community health clinics in rural Rwanda. Each self-sustaining clinic is designed for solar power generation and rainwater collection. The goal is to bring much-needed health care closer to under-served communities in Rwanda, and help address public health issues including malaria. Since then, SC Johnson’s support has enabled the creation and operation of 68 health clinics in Rwanda. As of January 2020, these clinics have provided care and education to more than 1 million people annually.

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