Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 25 (ANI/BusinessWire India): Reckitt's well-known household insecticide brand, Mortein launched 'Mission Zero Malaria' with support from the Government of Uttar Pradesh in Bareilly today. Aligned with India's goal to eliminate Malaria by 2030, Mission Zero Malaria has been launched with Malaria No More, as an implementation partner and aims to enhance health awareness and inspire the adoption of desired behavior change within the community, health system, and government bodies of the region.



As per the World Health Organisation, in the South-East Asia region, India accounts for 82.5 per cent of malaria cases which is majority of the malaria burden. In 2019, 70 per cent of the officially reported cases of malaria in Uttar Pradesh, India, came from only 2 districts, Bareilly and Budaun. Bareilly witnessed sudden and unexplained outbreaks of malaria and dengue in recent times. 2019 saw an outbreak of both malaria and dengue, and 2021 saw an outbreak of dengue. In 2022, more than 40 per cent of malaria impacted people under the age of 18 with about 7 per cent impacting children up to the age of 5.



Due to the consistent rise in Malaria cases in the district of Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh government took various steps to mitigate the risk and help those suffering from vector-borne diseases. However, the public and private sectors complement each other and help strengthen the system. Therefore, it is critical that the private sector collaborates with the public sector to help construct health infrastructure and facilitate healthcare provision to enhance Malaria elimination efforts. Mortein and Malaria No More will play a significant role in healthcare delivery to the targeted beneficiaries to control and eradicate Malaria in Bareilly. This partnership will ensure investments, access to technology, and innovation that can be leveraged to lessen the burden of Malaria in the district.

Ravi Bhatnagar, Director - External Affairs and Partnerships, Reckitt- South Asia said, "We are more than thrilled to take steps towards achieving ambitious goal of eliminating Malaria through our partnership with Malaria No More. This partnership will focus on targeted interventions by using advanced data management and analytics to better understand the distribution and prevalence of diseases. This information would be used to inform targeted interventions in areas that are most affected by the disease. This partnership will support India's journey towards holistic health and well-being while leveraging advanced technologies to curb centuries-old menace of malaria towards health."

Pratik Kumar, Country Director, Malaria No More, India, said, "We are pleased to announce our partnership with Reckitt to help fight malaria in India. Through the partnership, we aim to create awareness about the disease, encourage preventive action, and improve treatment seeking and treatment compliance measures for Malaria and Dengue in the state of UP - Bareilly in particular. Together, Reckitt and Malaria No More hope to make a significant impact in reducing the burden of mosquito-borne diseases in India. The program will rely on digital technologies and innovations to reduce the incidence of malaria and dengue in target geography as we feel that technology will play a critical role in the fight against mosquito-borne diseases in India in the years to come. With this partnership of Reckitt and Malaria No More, we hope to support the vision of our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, of eliminating Malaria from the country by 2030."



Saurabh Jain, Regional Marketing Director, Hygiene, Reckitt- South Asia said, "Mortein is consistently working towards serving consumer needs by offering innovative solutions to everyone. Driving sustained behavior change is essential to drive impact and thus, with Mission Zero Malaria our efforts are aligned with the philosophy of leaving no one behind. Mortein is proud to contribute to working towards the betterment of the communities in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh through various purpose programs in partnership with Malaria No More to ensure elimination of Malaria by 2030."



Dettol Banega Swasth India has been working with the Government of Uttar Pradesh since 2015 to improve the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of children and community and ensure better hygiene and health outcomes. The campaign focused on building a future where every Indian has access to good health care and to improve average life expectancy to 80 years of age through innovation, technology, access to medical care and focused self-care. Reckitt's various interventions across the state, include supporting villages to become Open Defecation Free, promoting hygiene and sanitation at India's biggest religious gathering - Kumbh Mela, receiving multiple accolades and appreciation from the Government of India for its initiatives.

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