Panadol ‘Suwa Saviya’ sponsors dengue awareness walk

Saturday, 1 March 2014 07:28 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Panadol, under its flagship CSR initiative ‘Panadol Suwa Saviya,’ was among the main sponsors for a dengue awareness walk organised by the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) in Colombo recently. The walk was organised to create awareness about the epidemic in the face of a possible dengue outbreak with the oncoming monsoon season. This initiative was the preliminary step of a dengue awareness and eradication campaign that has been launched with the objective of combating dengue in the Colombo vicinity. Panadol, which has worked towards dengue prevention and eradication in the past through campaigns such as ‘Panadol Sahana Balakaya,’ partnered with CMC to support and strengthen this cause.

The walk garnered the participation of large crowds of all ages as it proceeded from Town Hall to F.R. Senanayake Mawatha to C.W.W. Kannangara Mawatha and around Lipton Circus before returning to Town Hall. It was a grand moving spectacle as crowds carried large and colourful parade floats and carried placards while children in themed costumes joined to support this unique dengue drive. Approximately 5,600 individuals participated in the event, far exceeding the expected number of attendees of 3,000. Participants included Mayor of Colombo A.J.M. Muzammil, school children, nurses and midwives, other medical professionals, personnel from the Police and Navy, etc. The march was conducted with the aim of encouraging the public to proactively get involved in the dengue eradication process by cleaning and maintaining their households, vicinities and workplaces to eliminate the possibility for mosquitoes to breed. Expressing his views on the initiative, Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam, Chief Medical Officer of the CMC, stated: “Recently we have seen a rapid spread of the dengue, which has been rampant especially in the Colombo District. The dengue awareness and eradication campaign which commences with this walk is aimed at educating the general public, especially those living in and around Colombo, about the prevalence and the dangers of the epidemic. More importantly we wish to create awareness about the role each and every individual can play in its eradication process. I would like to thank Rotary International – District 3220 and all our sponsors for the support extended. I would also like to thank GlaxoSmithKline for coming forward to support this initiative as a main sponsor under their CSR initiative ‘PanadolSuwaSaviya.’” According to records of the Epidemiology Unit, 3,285 cases of dengue were reported for the month of January in 2014, out of which 1,250 of the cases were reported from the Colombo District. A total of five deaths were also reported from Colombo. The threat of dengue outbreak generally occurs two times a year during the monsoon seasons. That is, from May to July and from October to January. This event was sponsored under their flagship CSR initiative ‘Panadol Suwa Saviya’ and Panadol provided messaging collateral, such as sunshades, placards and banners for the walk. As the industry leader, Panadol by GlaxoSmithKline has been the force behind many health and safety related initiatives that strive to uplift and safeguard the wellbeing of our society. The dengue awareness walk is one such initiative that Panadol has supported through their CSR brand ‘Panadol Suwa Saviya’; which is well-known for the free medical assistance and relief they offer to hundreds of thousands of pilgrims through medical camps and first aid services at religious events around the country. Further, in line with their efforts to promote the responsible use of medicine, Panadol was the first medicine manufacturer to introduce Child Resistant Caps (CRC) and to introduce the dose by weight chart for medicine sold in the Sri Lankan market. The brand, through education programs and messaging collateral has also dedicated their efforts create awareness on the responsible use of medicine among the community.