Racine-based SC Johnson has donated 54,000 cans of Off insect repellent to the County of Hawaii Civil Defense Agency in an effort to combat a dengue fever outbreak.
The dengue fever is spread by the same mosquitoes that spread the Zika virus and there are over 100 million cases worldwide each year. The Hawaii Department of Health is investigating a cluster of locally-acquired cases on the Big Island of Hawaii. There have been a total of 252 cases since September, but only one this month. The outbreak is the first in Hawaii since 2011.
The majority of the cases have been reported in Hawaii Island residents and just 24 of those infected have been visitors. Hawaiian tours are therefore not a major contributing factor to the disease spread. The department has excluded 1,142 potential cases from being dengue fever.
Symptoms of dengue include fever, severe headaches, pain behind the eyes, joint and/or muscle pain and rash. Officials say travel to Hawaii remains safe and the current outbreak is small by global standards.
Using mosquito repellents with 20 to 30 percent DEET is among the methods for preventing contraction of dengue fever. The SC Johnson donation is going to be distributed through social service programs in an effort to protect as many people as possible.
“We are a family company that’s been protecting families from mosquitoes for decades, so we feel a particular responsibility to help fight the spread of this disease,” said Fisk Johnson, SC Johnson chairman and chief executive officer.
