Combatting mosquito-borne illnesses
SC Johnson is using its expertise, products, global reach and scale to make a difference.
Science. Innovation. Partnerships.
We’re well placed to help fight mosquito-borne disease
SC Johnson is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of personal insect repellents and household pest control products, with 60+ years of insect science expertise. We offer a wide variety of these trusted products to families around the globe.
This means we’re perfectly positioned to bring our core competencies in science, innovation and partnerships to help in the fight against mosquito-borne disease. And it’s the right thing to do.
As leaders in pest control, we are supporting innovative new ways to help protect the most vulnerable communities from mosquito bites that could carry diseases.
Research that makes a difference
Working to prove the effectiveness of spatial repellents
Together with our public health partners, we’ve recently made important new progress in proving the effectiveness of low-cost spatial repellents for reducing mosquito-borne disease transmission.
For example, analysis of data from a University of Notre Dame led study conducted in Indonesia found that some village clusters with zero baseline malaria transmissions, demonstrated an approximate 28% reduction in first-time infection, while a subset of clusters with the highest number of mosquitoes saw an approximate 66% reduction in overall malaria infection. Another trial, in Peru, found that the same SC Johnson product could help reduce dengue and Zika infections by an estimated 34%. It also found the repellent reduced the number of mosquitoes indoors by approximately 29%.
Proving effectiveness is a key step toward getting spatial repellents into public health systems where the benefits may potentially be realized on a greater scale. Now, an optimized version of the product, called Mosquito Shield™, is being studied in large-scale clinical trials in Kenya which are funded by UNITAID.
Championing education and public health support
Mosquito-borne disease transmission is largely preventable, but many people, particularly in the world’s most vulnerable communities, lack access to the educational tools they need to help protect themselves. As well as leading the way in research, we’re continuing to work to increase access to education and public health support in areas with the highest risk of mosquito-borne disease.
SC Johnson is working hard to educate families and communities about the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases and how to protect themselves from mosquito bites.
Education can involve sharing information about pest control interventions that work, dispelling myths and helping people understand that protecting themselves is worth the time and commitment. We’re helping raise awareness through an innovative blend of in-store programs, collaborations with local government, product sampling and more.
“As part of our commitment to helping address some of the world’s most pressing public health threats, SC Johnson is proud to support disease prevention efforts and create opportunities for a better quality of life for underserved populations. Life-threatening diseases, like dengue and Zika, are preventable, yet billions of people around the world lack access to personal protection methods. We are working to prove the effectiveness of this spatial repellent so we can get it into public health systems and save lives.”
Fisk Johnson - Chairman and CEO, SC Johnson
Our Base of the Pyramid team
Working with NGOs against mosquito-borne disease
SC Johnson’s Base of the Pyramid team works with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in communities around the globe to educate families on how to avoid mosquito bites and prevent disease transmission.
So far, more than 50 million people across seven African and Asian countries have learned mosquito bite prevention strategies thanks to our Base of the Pyramid team’s commercial and philanthropic efforts.