[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 95 (Thursday, June 4, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E527]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING SC JOHNSON'S COMMITMENT TO ENDING MALARIA AND OTHER INSECT-
                             BORNE DISEASES

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BRYAN STEIL

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 4, 2026

  Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the consumer 
product company SC Johnson for their longstanding commitment to 
eliminating malaria and other types of insect-borne disease. Founded in 
1886 and headquartered in Racine, Wisconsin, which I have the honor to 
represent in this chamber, SC Johnson is dedicated to creating a more 
sustainable, healthier, and transparent world that inspires people and 
creates opportunities. SC Johnson's commitment to working for a better 
world is evident in how the company has brought its expertise in 
science, innovation, and partnerships to address the challenge of 
preventing and eradicating malaria.
  For nearly 70 years, SC Johnson has used its entomological expertise, 
philanthropy, and product innovations to help families protect 
themselves from malaria and other deadly insect-borne diseases. In 
2013, the company established a dedicated Healthier World Initiative 
team, which has been focused on preventing insect-borne disease among 
the world's most vulnerable populations and increasing health education 
in communities around the globe. In this effort, SC Johnson has 
established a network of 86 community health posts across four 
countries--Rwanda, Tanzania, South Sudan, and Indonesia. These clinics 
serve over two million people annually who would otherwise not have 
access to care. In Rwanda in particular, the clinics have reduced the 
average walking time to receive care from 3 hours to 30 minutes.
  The company's primary focus in this initiative has been to develop 
and distribute a new class of tools known as spatial repellents to 
prevent the transmission of diseases like malaria and dengue. Ten-plus 
years and more than $120 million invested in development, testing, 
production, and deployment has produced two spatial repellent 
products--SC Johnson and Guardian and SC Johnson Mosquito Shield. In 
August 2025, the World Health Organization announced a policy 
recommendation for spatial repellents to be used to fight insect-borne 
diseases like malaria, dengue, and Zika--allowing these prevention 
tools to be distributed to communities with a high malaria burden at a 
much larger scale. This is one of the first new categories of vector 
control tools to receive a policy recommendation from the WHO for 
malaria prevention within the last 25 years.
  A second important milestone took place on May 13, 2026, when SC 
Johnson, the U.S. State Department, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, 
Tuberculosis, and Malaria announced a three-year agreement to expand 
access to Guardian spatial repellents. That collaboration will support 
the procurement and distribution of approximately 30 million units of 
Guardian to protect more than 60 million people in high malaria burden 
countries over the next three years.
  Guardian is a low-cost, electricity-free tool that provides 
protection for up to a year and can be used in a wide range of 
household and humanitarian settings. SC Johnson's partnership with the 
Global Fund demonstrates how American innovation combined with the 
Global Fund's global procurement and delivery platform can expand 
access to life-saving malaria prevention tools, while also enabling 
sustainable manufacturing in Sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, 
partnering to deploy this innovative American malaria prevention tool 
aligns with the America First Global Health Strategy, which seeks to 
promote American public health innovation and technology around the 
world through private sector engagement and collaboration.
  Finally, as a testament to SC Johnson's commitment to improving 
people's lives around the world, the manufacture and distribution of 
their Guardian spatial repellent remain a not-for-profit initiative for 
SC Johnson.
  Sadly, malaria remains one of the world's deadliest infectious 
diseases, causing more than 600,000 deaths each year, most of them 
children under the age of five in Sub-Saharan Africa. And nearly every 
minute, a child dies from this entirely preventable disease. While 
these statistics may seem discouraging, the innovative work of 
companies like SC Johnson, along with many other organizations that are 
united in the fight against malaria, gives me great hope that we are 
moving closer to eliminating this terrible disease that robs 
individuals and families of precious futures.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend SC Johnson, along with the vision and 
commitment of their Chairman and CEO Dr. Fisk Johnson and the 
dedication of the company's Healthier World Initiative team, for 
working to protect vulnerable families from malaria and other insect-
borne diseases. I have no doubt that SC Johnson's innovative malaria 
prevention tool will be a true gamechanger in achieving our shared 
vision of a world where no one dies from a mosquito bite.

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