Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Mortein NaturGard launches a nationwide awareness drive to combat Dengue

Mortein NaturGard launches a nationwide awareness drive to combat Dengue
With an aim to raise awareness and control the rising number of Dengue cases across the country, Mortein NaturGard had joined hands with NDMC, AIIMS, IMA, Rotary Blood Bank and SAHAYOG to announce a nation-wide campaign – “U & Me Against Dengue”. The 2 month long campaign, which panning across 6 cities, was launched by Mr. Chander Mohan Sethi (Senior Vice President South East Asia, RB) along with honourable partners Mr. Azad Singh (Mayor, North Delhi Municipal Corporation), Dr. Chandrakant S Pandav (Professor & Head, Centre for Community Medicine - All India Institute of Medical Sciences) and Maj. Gen. Vickas Kapur (CEO, Rotary Blood Bank).

 “U & Me Against Dengue” is the biggest and the first initiative by Mortein NaturGard to form a public-private partnership for creating awareness amongst citizens. The campaign has a dedicated website www.uandmeagainstdengue.com which not only offers insights on dengue but also shares real time updates on the progress across cities. As a part of the campaign, Mortein will reach out to 65,000+ school children across 130+ schools and 85,000+ households across 170+ RWAs to conduct fumigation drive, street plays, neem plantation and cleanliness drive. The campaign will be rolled out in phases across Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkatta, Pune and Ahmedabad. In addition, it has also launched a 24x7 Toll free Dengue helpline - 1800-200-0801, where consumers can get information pertaining to symptoms and necessary measures to prevention. Consumers who wish to volunteer for blood donation can now fill their details on the website and Rotary Blood Bank will reach out to these registered users to conducting the blood donation camp.

Mr. Chander Mohan Sethi, Senior Vice President, South East Asia, RB said, “As an innovative and responsible pest control brand, Mortein NaturGard believes that it is imperative to empower consumers with the knowledge and tools which can help them prevent themselves from the life threatening disease like Dengue. We have been successfully running these awareness campaigns in Malaysia, Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka in the past. I would like to thank our valuable partners for joining hands to take “U & Me Against Dengue” across to as many people as possible.”

Mr. Nitish Kapoor, General Manager – RB India added, “Mortein is one of the leading pest control brands in the country. In the past we have stepped forward on numerous occasions to spread the awareness around Dengue and Malaria. At the Sonepur Mela, the biggest cattle fair in Asia, we conduct massive awareness drive which has received tremendous response. Now is the time to take a step further by embarking on a nationwide campaign.”

Mr.  Azad Singh, Mayor, NDMC said, “We appreciate the step taken by Mortein NaturGard to step forward for creating awareness amongst citizens. We believe that a public private partnership like this helps in maximising efforts towards a common cause.”

Dr. Chandrakant S Pandav, Professor & Head, Centre for Community Medicine, AIIMS said, “We all have read that prevention is better than cure and in the case of Dengue, where there are not yet any vaccines to cure this virus, prevention becomes all the more important.  We welcome this step from Mortein NaturGard to empower community by creating awareness about Dengue and educating people about preventive measures to make their community Dengue free.”

Mr. Sudarshan Agarwal, Emeritus & Founder President, Rotary Blood Bank said, “The key requirement of a Dengue patient is platelets of matching blood group. While some of us may be regular blood donors, most of the people who wish to donate blood are not sure about how and where they can do so. Our association with the campaign by Mortein NaturGard allows us to equip more and more such people and help them donate blood safely.”

About RB (Reckitt Benckiser):
RB (Reckitt Benckiser) is a global consumer goods leader in health, hygiene and home.

With a purpose of delivering innovative solutions for healthier lives and happier homes, RB is in the top 25 of companies listed on the London Stock Exchange. Today it is the global No 1 or No 2 in the majority of its fast-growing categories, driven by an exceptional rate of innovation. Its health, hygiene and home portfolio is led by 19 global Powerbrands including Nurofen, Strepsils Gaviscon, Mucinex, Durex, Scholl, Lysol, Dettol, Clearasil, Veet, Harpic, Bang, Mortein, Finish, Vanish, Woolite, Calgon, Air Wick, and French’s.  RB has close to half of its revenues coming from it 2 emerging market Areas and just over half from its developed market Area.  Over 70% of core revenues come from the health and hygiene categories of the portfolio.

RB people and its culture are at the heart of the company’s success. They have an intense drive for achievement and a desire to outperform wherever they focus, including in sustainability where the company has reduced its carbon footprint by 20% in 5 years and is now targeting to deliver a 1/3 reduction in water impact, 1/3 further reduction in carbon and to have 1/3 of its net revenue coming from more sustainable products by 2020. It is also the Save the Children charity’s largest FMCG global partner, with a new partnership vision to radically reduce the world’s second biggest killer of under fives, diarrhoea.  RB has been recognised as a sustainability leader in the CDP Global 500 Carbon Performance Leadership Index and received a 2013 Sector Mover Sustainability Award in the 10th Sustainability Yearbook. The company has operations in over 60 countries, with headquarters in the UK, Singapore, Dubai and Amsterdam, and sales in almost 200 countries. The company employs approximately 36,000 people worldwide.For more information visit www.rb.com/in