The XXL weekend started with
XXS repellents
: six days ahead with almost no protection against the mosquitoes that transmit dengue, at least for those who had already emptied the containers already purchased. The deficit worsened until just before this Easter with anabolics
it hit rock bottom
.
Anyone who has tried it was able to corroborate it this Thursday: it was enough to enter any supermarket, pharmacy, perfumery or kiosk and approach the checkout area to receive an
automatic “no”
in response, even before asking. A gesture that some prefer to economize with a visible sign with the legend “there is no repellent.”
In the last few hours,
Clarín had published an overview of this situation of
distressing shortages
for many, which has even led some people - according to testimonies collected by this medium - to implement toxic and completely disapproved practices, such as spraying clothes with insecticide.
The laboratory that has
more than 80 percent of the
repellent market and among its portfolio has the brands Off! and Fuji, had not responded until now to
Clarín
's questions
about the causes of the lack of repellents in a context of high demand due to the record dengue epidemic.
Finally, SC Johnson - this is the United States laboratory - sent a statement in which he attempts an explanation as to
why there is no repellent anywhere
. The versions that had circulated anchored in a possible lack of containers or a key imported raw material to manufacture the product.
An Aedes aegypti mosquito, transmitter of dengue, at work. Photo: AFP
But SC Johnson mentioned none of that in his defense, which he made to try to justify why the shelves that should be stocked with orange, green and white containers
are empty
. A situation that began to be noticed last January and
has now deepened
.
The problem with statements from corporations, like this one based in Wisconsin, is that they cannot be cross-examined. He says: “Given the greater presence of mosquitoes, in recent weeks in Argentina there has been a significant increase in dengue cases and, consequently, a
greater demand for repellents
.”
Then he continues: “At SC Johnson, as a manufacturer of household brands such as Off!, Fuyi and Raid, we take seriously our responsibility to produce and provide high quality products to combat mosquitoes and insects in general, which is why we are making
efforts extraordinary measures
to supply all points of sale and increase their availability, currently producing
three times
more than usual and approving the sale of different packaging formats to maximize production."
To that, he adds: “Compared to the same period of the previous year, in February 2024 we recorded a
growth of more than 300 percent
in demand for our repellents. This unprecedented situation affects the entire supply chain involved, so we are constantly evaluating new action plans to be able to supply all points of sale in the country.”
Finally, they point out: “In parallel, at SC Johnson we continue to make donations of repellents to the Dr. Ricardo Gutierrez Children's Hospital and various civil society organizations, with the aim of reaching families in areas that, according to the Ministry of Health, “record a higher cumulative incidence of mosquitoes.”
Patients with dengue symptoms wait to be treated at a Buenos Aires hospital. Photo: AP
The response has an air of what they had given in January, when the first shortage of repellent was recorded, although not as emphatic as the current one. Since then
84 days have passed
. And judging by the arguments made, the foreseeable high demand based on epidemiological statistics once again surprised the company.
In this scenario of lack of protection and deficit for the population,
one more problem
is added : one of the players in the repellent market, a minority but which until 2023 contributed its share of stock,
decided to withdraw
. This is the well-known brand Livopen, from the multinational Unilever.
As Clarín
learned
, given the problem of
obstacles to imports
that reached its most critical point last year, the company decided to prioritize the manufacture of other products based on its capacity, given that the main raw material of the sudden - DEET- is brought from outside.
What they say in the Nation, Province and City about the lack of repellents
Clarín
consulted the Ministry of Health of the Nation, to find out if in this context of lack of repellents - with the damage to public health that this can generate due to the greater transmission of dengue - there is any
contingency plan
, they plan to cushion some way the shortage or arbitrate the necessary means to repair the shortage. But there was no response.
From the Ministry of Health of the province of Buenos Aires, meanwhile, they explained that they continue with the
manufacture of repellents
at the Dr. Tomás Perón Biological Institute. “After the pandemic, the infrastructure was fine-tuned and in 2023 the production of 45 thousand units was reached. So far in 2024, we reached March with 23 thousand bottles and we are on a scale of
150 by the end of the year
,” the sources explained.
They explained that “the distribution is in public hospitals and also through the health regions for territorial outbreak control operations. When the circulation of dengue is identified epidemiologically, that repellent is used to leave with the neighbors.”
From the Ministry of Health of the City of Buenos Aires, meanwhile, they said that "during epidemic outbreaks of dengue and other diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, the Ministry, through hospitals and health centers,
delivers repellent free of charge.
to patients, as well as to health personnel who carry out studies of dengue outbreaks in the territory.”
However, they clarified: “Of course, their supply is
subject to the stock
that each medical institution has. As is the case with pharmacies and supermarkets, at this time suppliers
are experiencing difficulties
in meeting agreed deliveries.”
P.S.