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| The newspaper that saves lives – Sri Lankan paper fights dengue with mosquito-repellent ink | |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| A newspaper in Sri Lanka has saved lives be imprinting its pages with mosquito repellent to stop the spread of deadly dengue fever. | A newspaper in Sri Lanka has saved lives be imprinting its pages with mosquito repellent to stop the spread of deadly dengue fever. |
| According to the Mawbima newspaper, the illness has reached “epidemic proportions”, with more than 30,000 people infected in 2013. | According to the Mawbima newspaper, the illness has reached “epidemic proportions”, with more than 30,000 people infected in 2013. |
| Young children are among those who have been killed by the virus. | Young children are among those who have been killed by the virus. |
| Spread by mosquitos, dengue is widespread in tropical regions and starts with high temperatures and flu-like symptoms. | Spread by mosquitos, dengue is widespread in tropical regions and starts with high temperatures and flu-like symptoms. |
| No medication is known to treat the disease and although it usually clears up itself within a fortnight, severe cases can cause shock, bleeding, organ damage and death. | No medication is known to treat the disease and although it usually clears up itself within a fortnight, severe cases can cause shock, bleeding, organ damage and death. |
| Mawbima, a national newspaper, worked with Leo Burnett in Sri Lanka on a campaign to raise awareness and stop its spread around National Dengue Week. | Mawbima, a national newspaper, worked with Leo Burnett in Sri Lanka on a campaign to raise awareness and stop its spread around National Dengue Week. |
| They discovered that mixing citronella essence, which repels mosquitos, with ink, the paper itself would stop mosquitos biting. | They discovered that mixing citronella essence, which repels mosquitos, with ink, the paper itself would stop mosquitos biting. |
| Most people read Mawbima in the early morning and evening – the very time the Aedes aegypti mosquito that carries dengue bites. | Most people read Mawbima in the early morning and evening – the very time the Aedes aegypti mosquito that carries dengue bites. |
| The combination was first tested in adverts where large letters were printed with the special ink, then on posters at bus stops. | The combination was first tested in adverts where large letters were printed with the special ink, then on posters at bus stops. |
| The paper also ran articles on how to prevent dengue and gave mosquito repellent patches to schoolchildren. | The paper also ran articles on how to prevent dengue and gave mosquito repellent patches to schoolchildren. |
| On World Health Day, in April, Mawbima published what it believes is the world's first mosquito-repelling newspaper, with every word printed in the citronella ink. | On World Health Day, in April, Mawbima published what it believes is the world's first mosquito-repelling newspaper, with every word printed in the citronella ink. |
| It is not clear whether the paper will continue the special printing but the company may be inspired by the effect it had on sales. | It is not clear whether the paper will continue the special printing but the company may be inspired by the effect it had on sales. |
| The paper reportedly sold out by 10am - a sales increase of 30 per cent – and increasing its readership by 300,000 people. | The paper reportedly sold out by 10am - a sales increase of 30 per cent – and increasing its readership by 300,000 people. |