Rio 2016 Signs Insect Repellent Sponsor Amid Zika Concerns
- Olympic partner OFF! ramps up bug spray output, distribution
- Zika scare led golfers Day and McIlroy to quit games
Containers of OFF! brand insect repellent on a store shelf in New York on Thursday, January 28, 2016. The World Health Organization warns that the Aedes aegypti mosquito-borne Zika virus is spreading rapidly and now can be found from Argentina to the Southern United Sates. The virus can cause microcephaly and other problems in fetuses when contracted by pregnant mothers. (�� Richard B. Levine)
Photographer: Richard Levine/Corbis via Getty ImagesRio 2016’s battle to convince athletes and visitors that the city will be safe from Zika-carrying mosquitoes has led to it signing the Olympics’ first-ever insect repellent partner.
SC Johnson’s OFF! brand, a widely-used repellent in Brazil, will have an official role at the games that begin Aug. 5, with thousands of bottles distributed to athletes, staff and volunteers as part of the agreement, according to a company statement Monday. OFF! began working around the clock last November to guarantee supplies amid the Zika scare and is boosting distribution, especially in Rio where it plans to have products available at every supermarket and pharmacy, said Stephane Reverdy, the company’s Brazil head.