Athletes don’t leave any stones unturned. Take football hero Anton
del Rosario for instance. The booter, who currently plays for Kaya (a team
under the United Football League) and used to be one of the more prominent
faces in the national football team Azkals, is already on the soccer field even
before sunrise. With training that lasts until late in the afternoon six times
a week, there is no question with regard to Anton’s commitment in being the
best in the game.
But being
outdoors for such a lengthy period of time and in various weather
conditions—from scorching heat to pounding rain—poses a host of challenges,
such as heatstroke and physical injury. Another is being bitten by dengue-lamok and contracting the dreaded disease. The
risk inevitably increases when athletes have to compete in various sports
venues across the country and Asia. Because of dengue, his ex-teammate from
Azkals OJ Porteria missed the AFF Suzuki Cup, the tournament which Anton played
in 2010.
He may
have been born and raised in the United States, but Anton, who has lived and
played football in the Philippines for more than a decade, is aware of the
threat of dengue. “Dengue is out there; it could reach anyone,” he says.
“Athletes, although we are in shape and supposedly fit, are still vulnerable to
those fatal mosquito bites.”
Dengue
recently hit close to home when Anton’s little niece contracted the dreaded
disease. “She was actually given 10 percent chance of survival,” Anton says
thoughtfully. “She got lucky because she pulled out of it.”
Because
of his personal encounter with dengue, Anton considers it as “scary” and
“nothing to be messed around with.” With dengue having no vaccine and being
indiscriminate of its victims—from a young girl to a robust athlete—Anton
maintains that, “Protection is very important. You have to take all your
precautionary measures to avoid it.”
This is
why Anton, who hopes to play again for the national football team Azkals next
year, regularly uses Green Cross Insect Repellent Lotion Active Protect. It is
specifically designed for people like Anton who are always outdoors, travel a
lot and work hard. “It’s something that people should be using, especially
those who are active,” he says. “Falling ill during a football season could
make you lose a game, even a championship.”
Anton
likes the fact that Green Cross Insect Repellent packs an unbeatable maximum
10-hour protection against both Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus - the two dreaded dengue vectors that
bite during the day and night. “It’s day and night protection for me against
both types of mosquitoes in just one product,” he says. “I like putting it on
because it has a cool, non-greasy feel, unlike other insect repellent lotions
I’ve tried. It has a great, fresh scent too.”
Currently,
the 31-year-old booter is competing for the UFL Cup whose championship will
culminate right before Christmas and his birthday, which falls on December 23.
Anton is glad that he will be able to spend the holidays with the del Rosario
family, his fiancée Samantha Richelle and their three-year old son Myles.
Just like
his dad, Myles is already showing signs of following in the footsteps of his
father. He likes to run around and kick a ball in the playground. “I always
make sure he has mosquito protection on him,” Anton says. For Myles, it’s Green
Cross Insect Repellent in Gentle Protect, which is most suitable for children’s
skin.
Anton says that it is important to have both the parents and their
kids protected from dengue-lamok. “Let me put it this way, the kids need their parents,” he says.
“Nothing offers better peace of mind than a healthy and active family.”
