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Fact Sheet: SC Johnson and Mosquito-Borne Disease Prevention

Every year, millions of people around the globe are at risk from mosquito-borne diseases like malaria, dengue, Zika and chikungunya. They’re dangerous public health threats that disproportionately affect families in the most vulnerable populations. 

As one of the world’s largest manufacturers of insect repellents and household pest control products, SC Johnson brings science, innovation and partnerships to the fight against these diseases. We’ve been working to make life healthier and better for families for decades.

 

Products

Since 1957, SC Johnson has operated one of the largest private, urban entomology research centers in the world, now known as the SC Johnson Institute of Insect Science for Family Health. Our scientists work tirelessly to help families protect themselves from insects, particularly those that may carry diseases.

Today, we make a wide variety of products to repel, control and kill pests in and around the home, including mosquitoes, roaches, ticks, ants and others. Our major pest control brands include Raid®, OFF®, Baygon®, Autan®, Allout®, Ridsect®, Exposis®, Fuyi®, Pyrel®, Polil®, F-Killer® and Pest Rest®. 

Education

Our brands fund in-store education programs, collaborations with local governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOS), product sampling and other efforts to educate families the importance of avoiding insect bites. 

At the same time, our Base of the Pyramid team works with NGOs worldwide to educate underserved communities on how to avoid mosquito bites and prevent disease transmission. Since 2013, the team has reached over 71 million families across 26 countries with public health education and support. 

Innovation

Since 2006, SC Johnson has been helping lead the way in developing low-cost spatial repellents as a public health measure to reduce mosquito-borne disease transmission. Our program aims to create effective products, tailor them for underserved communities and work with partners to distribute them in trusted channels. 

The Mosquito Shield™ spatial repellent, developed by our Base of the Pyramid group 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. 

 

Access to Health Care

Public health support is another critical element of disease prevention, including educating about malaria and distributing resources like mosquito repellents, bed nets and medicines. Since 2018, SC Johnson has established 68 health clinics across Rwanda in partnership with the Rwanda Ministry of Family Health and the Society for Family Health Rwanda.

The clinics help address malaria as well as other health issues like HIV/AIDS, family planning, nutrition and access to clean water. Further efforts include our first SC Johnson community health clinic in South Sudan near the Uganda border and another in Sumba, Indonesia.

Partnerships

With collaboration, we know can have an impact far beyond what SC Johnson could do alone. That’s why strategic partnerships like those with the Rwanda Ministry of Family Health and the Society for Family Health Rwanda are a vital part of our efforts to fight disease and support public health. Other recent examples include:

  • Collaborations throughout our years-long effort to prove the impact of low-cost spatial repellents. Funding and research partners have included the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the University of Notre Dame, the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, the University of California Davis and U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit Six. 
  • Joining leaders across the East African Community to create the Great Lakes Malaria Initiative (GLMI), which aims to reduce malaria through cross-border collaboration and joint regional actions. Members include Ministers of Health, industry partners, and representatives from the East African Community (EAC), World Health Organization (WHO), Roll Back Malaria (RBM), and African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA). 
  • Working with the United Nations Foundation and the MENTOR Initiative to support healthcare systems in Nigeria’s Borno State. We supplied disinfectant kits to 100 health facilities that serve 2 million residents, helping medical workers who frequently treat patients for highly contagious diseases like cholera, measles and COVID-19.
 

Philanthropy 

SC Johnson also has a long history of providing financial support and product donations to support health and help prevent disease, whether its providing repellents to areas affected by natural disasters or supporting larger initiatives in times of health crises. 

During the Zika health crisis of 2016 and 2017, we donated $15 million to provide products and support for families and communities. In 2020 and 2021, our $15 million commitment to fight COVID-19 included providing vaccines for all of Rwanda’s 60K community health workers.