The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially announced a policy recommendation for the use of spatial repellents as a new tool in the global fight against insect-borne diseases like malaria. This is a milestone for SC Johnson, as its company-developed and manufactured spatial repellents, SC Johnson Guardian and SC Johnson Mosquito Shield, are key to this new strategy.
This recommendation, one of the first for a new category of vector control tools in 25 years and will allow SC Johnson to deploy them to vulnerable communities on a much larger scale. The company has already been distributing millions of these spatial repellents, which are provided at no profit.
“I’m thrilled that the World Health Organization has announced a policy recommendation for spatial repellents as an innovative prevention tool for fighting insect-borne diseases,” said Fisk Johnson, Chairman and CEO of SC Johnson. “This important milestone is the culmination of more than 10 years of effort and over $100 million invested in the development, testing, production, and deployment of our spatial repellent products. From day one, this has been a not-for-profit initiative driven by our commitment to combat diseases that threaten hundreds of millions of people.”
Spatial repellents are about the size of a sheet of paper and can be hung in semi-enclosed spaces like homes and schools. They release an active ingredient that repels mosquitoes from a room, preventing bites and ultimately lessening the transmission of disease. They are easy to use, low-cost, long-lasting, and have been shown in clinical trials to reduce the risk of disease by up to 33%.
In addition to the policy recommendation, the WHO has also granted prequalification listings for Guardian and Mosquito Shield, which signals their safety, quality, and efficacy. This will enable these tools to be procured and distributed more widely through different global health channels. SC Johnson is already working with partners like The MENTOR Initiative and Ministries of Health in several countries to distribute these tools.
To meet the growing demand, SC Johnson recently opened two manufacturing lines at its plant in Nairobi, Kenya, with the capacity to produce up to 20 million units annually. The company plans to open another line in Argentina next year, which will bring total annual production to 40 million units.