Dengue Defenders : Captain Green Trains Children against Dengue

Captain Green goes to a school for a visit and there's an important message to all! 

                  

In an effort to turn youngsters to be “Dengue Defenders,” Green Cross Insect Repellent Gentle Protect is bringing an interactive program featuring Captain Green to schools all over the country. Helped by a chock-full of visuals, song-and-dance presentations and audience participation, the hero will deliver the newest information about the disease and the ways to zap its culprit —the dreaded dengue-lamok. The mosquito villain will also be present buzzing around but will ultimately be defeated by Captain Green.

“We are aware of the gravity of the dengue disease,” says Vince Camua, Senior Brand Manager from Green Cross. “Statistics show that almost half of the people who contracted dengue last year were children from ages 1-10. This is the reason why we are bringing our advocacy to schools and educating them on the myths surrounding the dengue disease.”

While a simple presentation may already deliver the information, only an interactive program can impress the importance of dengue protection in the minds of children. “We really want it to be an opportunity where children are not only listeners but participants,” Vince added. “They can move, sing and dance with Captain Green as they absorb and understand information.”

Hailing from a planet devastated by dengue, Captain Green comes to Earth to inform children about the dreaded day (Aedes aegypti) & night (Aedes albopcitus) dengue-lamok, how to stop the mosquitoes from multiplying, the tell-tale signs if they are infected, and the precautions they can take to minimize their exposure to mosquito bites.

For instance, Captain Green tells them that, aside from their usual breeding grounds (old tires and vases), dengue-lamok can also thrive “in a drop of water as small as a coin,” making it important to dry areas with stagnant water no matter how tiny they may seem.

As for the tell-tale signs of infection, Captain Green enumerates the following as possible symptoms of dengue: “high fever for more than three days, severe headache, severe pain behind the eyes, joint pain, muscle or bone pain, rashes, mild nose, gum bleed, easy bruising and low white blood cell count.”

Captain Green emphasizes that the disease, which many people think can be contracted only during the day, is now a round-the-clock concern. It is true that the more popular Ae. aegypti is a day-biter, with peak biting hours between 6AM-8AM and 4PM-6PM.  However, another dengue-lamok, the Ae. albopictus, strikes when we least expect it, with peak biting hours during the night: from 6PM-8PM and 11PM-1AM.

Near the end of the program, Captain Green unveils his secret weapon: Green Cross Insect Repellent Lotion Gentle Protect. Applied once in the morning and once in the evening, the lotion offers clinically-proven 8-hour protection against both day-biting and night-biting mosquitoes. Hypoallergenic, non-greasy and fresh-smelling, it is tested safe on the skin of children—and adults as well!

After their stint in the “Dengue Defenders” training camp, the children will receive interactive comic books and a letter to their parents with product samples of Green Cross Insect Repellent Lotion Gentle Protect for them to gain headway in their fight against dengue.

“We believe in the two adages of ‘Starting them young’ and ‘An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure,’” says Vince Camua, Green Cross Senior Product Manager. “By arming children with knowledge, we at Green Cross hope to contribute to the lowering of dengue incidents and keeping our young safe and protected.”