The SC Johnson Guardian™ might be the biggest innovation in the fight against malaria in 25 years. It has the potential to completely transform the way people are protected against malaria, while dramatically reducing the number of global infections and deaths.

It’s easier to use and simpler to install and maintain than existing solutions. Based on the research and in-country testing done to-date Guardian™ is dramatically more effective than anything else currently in use. It is also an entirely not-for-profit product, made freely available at no cost to those at risk of malaria.

Malaria is one of the world’s deadliest diseases. It kills a child under the age of 5 every minute, and over 600,000 people every year. This is a reality that SC Johnson is working hard to change, and has been through their continuous involvement and pioneering work in the fight against insect borne disease for over 60 years.

Global instances of malaria are on the increase due to external and environmental factors like insecticide resistance, increased global temperature and higher annual rainfalls. Consequently, the need to protect people is greater than ever.

Guardian™ was developed to help prevent the spread of, and potentially help eliminate, malaria. Its incredible effectiveness, coupled with its ease of use and distribution means it is designed to be more accessible and usable than most other malaria interventions. It requires no power or maintenance from the user, is a simple fit-and-forget product and is therefore a more practical solution for the more remote rural communities where the disease is most prevalent.

Guardian™ is awaiting official WHO approval - but this takes time. Time people in malaria-stricken communities don’t have. Until this happens, SCJ’s objective is simple: to work with as many partners as needed to get as many Guardians™ into the communities that need them as quickly as possible, saving lives in the process.

Malaria is an entirely preventable disease, but has been killing people for thousands of years. Current interventions have only limited effectiveness and duration.

The challenges for many solutions are access (rural, hard to reach areas are most affected by malaria), maintenance (burners that require constant flame) and power (many rural locations have only very limited power supplies), while traditional nets are often repurposed for fishing (people choosing between hunger and malaria).

Guardian™ is a highly innovative, incredibly effective reaction to this frustration. Created to deliver the highest levels of protection for the longest duration possible while maintaining consistent levels of effectiveness in the most challenging conditions (high humidity and temperature).

In development for a decade, SC Johnson has invested over $80 million (USD) to the design, creation, testing and production of this life-saving, not-for-profit product.

Guardian™ is an entirely new, simple-to-use, highly effective spatial repellent product that has been shown to reduce mosquito bites by up to 91%.

Guardian™ is a slow-release repellent that is simply placed in a home. It works with the airflow of enclosed, or partially enclosed spaces to protect entire households from mosquitos carrying malaria. Designed to be easy to distribute and use, it requires no electricity, nor any ongoing maintenance (like a slow-burn repellent would) and is designed to be effective for a full year.

The development of the Guardian™ product delivered a low-cost, fit-and-forget spatial repellent - and a significant step towards the elimination of malaria. A single Guardian™ provides a whole household long-term protection from mosquitoes, with a proven reduction in infection that significantly exceeds conventional methods wherever it has been trialed. When used across an entire village, it can help provide a whole community protection from infection.

In 2013, SCJ formed a dedicated team called ‘Base of the Pyramid Group’ to focus specifically on helping the more than 4 billion people globally that earn less than a few dollars (USD) per day.

These communities are in some of the highest risk areas for mosquito-borne diseases and consequently have the greatest likelihood of contracting malaria. Since then, and in partnership with several scientific and educational institutes and various NGOs, SCJ has continued to push innovation in the field of mosquito protection and malaria prevention, particularly spatial repellents.

Development of Guardian™ began in 2013, with exploration and research into a new form of slow release repellent. Within one year, a working prototype was created and tested extensively in both laboratory and in-field tests.

In 2014, SCJ worked in partnership with both the Gates Foundation and Notre Dame to conduct clinical trials for Mosquito Shield™ and to further the development of Guardian™

Once in-field efficacy was proven, Guardian™ was then submitted for WHO approval. Securing this approval is a multi-year process that is still ongoing.

Local production of Guardian™ has already begun in Kenya in order to scale the distribution and reach of Guardian™ while awaiting WHO approval.

Guardian™ is the culmination of over a decade of work and to-date has protected over 1 million people globally, with the potential to protect over 20 million a year once approved as an official public health intervention by the WHO.

Guardian™ is a slow-release repellent that, onced placed in a household, works with the airflow of enclosed, or partially enclosed spaces. Guardian™ is made from 3D mesh fabric enclosed in a PET cage that is hermetically sealed in a pouch and stable over time at elevated temperatures and humidity. Simple to use, designed for accessibility, and highly effective. Trials have taken place in several African countries, particularly in hard-to-reach remote areas.

Multiple households within the same communities all using Guardian™ help protect the entire population, as the collective, cumulative use of these repellents creates a protection ‘bubble’ within the village or town – making the effectiveness even more complete.

Guardian™ has been fully developed and has undergone extensive testing both in the laboratory and in-country. It has been produced and distributed across malaria-affected areas by SC Johnson and their family of partners. Currently, it is undergoing WHO evaluation to corroborate the results generated in trials. Should that happen, it will be recommended as an official public health intervention and will be given at no-cost to the millions of people who desperately need protection from malaria.

Guardian™ is awaiting WHO approval - but this takes time. Time people in malaria-stricken communities don’t have. Until this happens, our objective is simple: Using our established family of partners to get as many Guardians™ into the communities that need them, saving lives in the process.

Once WHO approval is granted, Guardian™ will be distributed via official health channels (such as hospitals, schools, clinics, etc) to as many people in affected countries as possible – always at no cost to the end user – as part of the ongoing fight against malaria, potentially protecting as many as 20 million a year, starting next year.

$100 Million+ funding committed by SCJ and partners to generate evidence to inform a WHO policy recommendation

$30 Million committed funding (USD) by SC Johnson for spatial repellent production in Kenya