SC Johnson, the maker of well-known household brands like OFF!®, Fuyí®, and Raid®, has announced the opening of two high-speed manufacturing lines at its Nairobi plant to produce its SC Johnson Guardian™ spatial repellent.
This new product, designed to reduce mosquito populations and mitigate the spread of diseases like malaria, dengue, and leishmaniasis, is set to play a key role in combating malaria as the peak season approaches across Africa.
Fisk Johnson, Chairman and CEO of SC Johnson, highlighted the company’s commitment to malaria prevention, saying, “Eleven years ago, a team at SC Johnson envisioned creating an effective, low-cost spatial repellent that could dramatically reduce malaria transmission. We are months away from receiving a policy recommendation from the World Health Organization where we can get this new tool into the hands of millions of people.
According to the latest World Malaria Report from the World Health Organization (WHO), Africa accounts for 94% of malaria cases and 95% of malaria-related deaths worldwide. SC Johnson’s innovative spatial repellant. Research conducted in clinical trials, including those conducted in Kenya, Indonesia, and Peru. indicates that proper use of spatial repellents can reduce the risk of mosquito-borne diseases by 33%, with Guardian™ offering up to 12 months of protection.
“Being in a region so vulnerable to mosquito and other insect transmitted disease, manufacturing spatial
repellents here in Kenya is a game changer,” said Dr. Eric Ochomo, Deputy Director, Centre for Infectious and Parasitic Disease, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Busia. SC Johnson is currently waiting on WHO approval for its spatial repellents and is already looking to expand its Kenya manufacturing and distribution.
The new manufacturing facility, at full capacity, is expected to produce up to 20 million units of the Guardian™ repellent annually. These units will be distributed at no cost to vulnerable communities through public health channels, with a focus on high-risk areas. Additionally, the facility will create around 150 local jobs, generating a significant economic impact.
“Our partnership with SC Johnson allows us to leverage our expertise so that these tools can be developed and distributed quickly and at no cost to areas that already have a high disease burden and those predicted to get outbreaks of disease, thereby averting additional cases and deaths. We are grateful to work together to hopefully end this fight against malaria and other disease,” added Ochomo.
Over the last ten years, SC Johnson has committed over $100 million to the development, testing, production, and deployment of spatial repellents as a new public health intervention to prevent insect-borne disease, with $22 million invested in total for its Nairobi plant.
This is a philanthropic effort to bring company resources, capability, and expertise to bear in the fight against mosquito-borne disease.
