India declares war on dengue, with media muscle behind it

MUMBAI: India’s mosquitoes have just acquired a formidable new enemy. ALL OUT, one of the country’s leading mosquito repellent brands, has teamed up with Omnicom Media’s OMD India and the India Today Group to launch “Saath Ladenge Dengue Se,” a nationwide awareness drive aimed squarely at one of the country’s most stubborn public health threats.

The campaign kicked off with an expert led discussion bringing together healthcare professionals, government representatives and policy makers to pick apart the myths around dengue and lay out practical steps families can take to stay safe. Over the coming weeks it will roll out across the India Today Group’s entire network, through doctor led explainers, short format content, influencer collaborations, podcasts and special programming on Aaj Tak, India Today TV, Good News Today, The Lallantop and digital platforms. Medical experts, public health specialists and frontline practitioners will weigh in on prevention, early symptoms, risk factors and community preparedness.

Gaurav Verma, chief operating officer at Aaj Tak, said large scale public awareness initiatives can spark real impact and lasting behavioural change when trusted information lands at the right moment. Through the partnership with ALL OUT, he said, the aim is to drive greater awareness, promote preventive action and empower citizens to protect themselves and their families from dengue, adding that if the initiative inspires even a few families to take preventive measures before dengue strikes, it will have made a real difference.

The numbers behind the urgency are stark. Ratanjit Das, managing director and chief executive officer at Brillon Consumer Products, the company behind ALL OUT, pointed out that dengue is a growing mosquito borne disease in India, with the country accounting for nearly a third of the global burden. Yet, he said, a large section of the population still does not know that mosquitoes cause dengue, how serious its consequences can be, or how to protect their families from it. At ALL OUT, he said, the belief is that dengue is preventable and that urgent action is needed to control the threat, but fighting it cannot be the job of individual households alone. Through Saath Ladenge Dengue Se, he said, ALL OUT wants to build a platform that brings together every stakeholder in the fight, and urged more partners to join the cause.

Anisha Iyer, chief executive officer at OMD India, said media has the power to do more than simply inform, it can inspire action. Through ALL OUT’s initiative, she said, the scale and credibility of trusted media platforms were used to turn awareness into participation, empowering communities to take simple yet meaningful steps towards prevention. When community action and media come together, she said, they can create a tangible impact where it matters most.

With doctors, broadcasters and a household brand now rowing in the same direction, India’s fight against dengue has just got considerably louder, and considerably harder to ignore. The mosquitoes, for once, are on the back foot.