What if we could turn everyday objects, beginning with a book, into a new form of protection from disease-transmitting mosquitoes by sealing in microcapsules of an insect repellent into the jacket and pages -- activated simply by page movement? Ananse, was intrigued. Through design, could we create an entirely new delivery mechanism for a mosquito repellent – and besides books, give other children’s toys a social purpose and value beyond learning and play? Even better, could we create a formula using entirely safe, natural and sustainable active ingredients? It had never been done.

We tapped an author to write and illustrate a story that would bring the region’s rich mythology of Amazon Warriors to life. To create a collection, we also produced a coloring book, and repellent crayons and superhero’s cape. Once in use, the child would have a six-hour window of mosquito protection, extending up to five feet in

“Safe Collection” uses nanotechnology to create a new class of repellent containing microcapsules of natural repellent ingredients—citronella, clove and neem oils. It took a year of trial-and-error to create a formulation that could be encapsulated effectively and coated underneath proprietary varnishes on book pages. The varnish was proven safe and effective when in contact with children’s skin. When pages are turned, the repellent creates a “bubble” of protection that extends up to five feet in diameter and lasts six hours. Tests show the repellent remains effective for three months.

The varnish is now available to book publishers and toy manufacturers. Working with IPAM, we distributed the first 2,000 free collections to households with children in Tapara Miri in Pará, an isolated Amazon community. Twenty-thousand more are on their way to other Amazon villages.

Every major Brazilian media outlet has carried the story. Coverage has spilled to 30 countries, transforming Tapara Miri into a global testing ground for everyday objects that repel mosquitoes. 67,000+ earned media stories appeared within three weeks of our visit, generating 500 million impressions. 300 stories on social media were viewed and shared 4.5+ million times. A leading Brazil newspaper plans to apply Ananse’s repellent varnish on an initial 500,000 production run.

The Collection has been endorsed by pediatricians, IPAM, and the Brazilian Health Department, and added to curricula in Pará State. According to IPAM, 90% of Tapara Miri children are wearing the capes and reading the books weeks later.

There have been no new reports of malaria or yellow fever in the village in the first month. IPAM will replenish collections every three months. The goal is to distribute the collection to schools and homes throughout Brazil’s poorest communities.

Given alarming concern over the rising spread of yellow fever, malaria and Zika, demand for vaccines, medicines and repellents among Brazil’s 200 million population has skyrocketed. However, for many Brazilians, these solutions, especially outside large cities, aren’t available or affordable. In contrast, mosquito-repellent books, crayons and children’s costumes could become familiar items that any child could use, requiring little education. The idea was so simple, and yet so complex, no one had thought of it, until now.

Our PR-driven CSR campaign for Ananse would bring aid to Brazilian families who needed protection for their children, but couldn’t get it. Teaming up with the nonprofit Amazon Research Institute (IPAM), we began by targeting villages in the Amazon rainforest where mosquito-borne diseases raged. Our strategy relied on going door-to-door to give away the ‘collection’ and fill classrooms with repellent books. Brazil’s leading media and social influencers were keen to spread the story.

Yellow fever (YF), spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, is the “Brazilian plague,” with a kill rate equal to Ebola’s. Brazil’s current YF outbreak (with 144 confirmed deaths) is the largest since the 1980s. Malaria cases have risen 35% in one year, with 2,000 infections. Children are at risk; 86% of malaria deaths globally occur under age five.

Brazil’s Health Ministry is hard-pressed to stop the spread. A vaccine exists for YF, but the sheer size of Brazil coupled with vaccine shortages mean that widespread inoculation in remote regions could take years.

Meanwhile, topical repellents are largely unattainable and unaffordable in the Amazon, a natural mosquito breeding ground containing half of the planet’s rainforests. We approached our client Ananse, a leading chemical company that develops high-tech coatings and sealants for consumer products, with an idea to design a new form of mosquito protection to aid the country’s most vulnerable.