Summit Donates 10,000 Mosquito Dunks to the Philippines in Post-Typhoon Aid
Summit Chemical Company donated 10,000 Mosquito Dunks to Philippines Shell Foundation (PSFI) to assist with relief efforts after Typhoon Haiyan displaced an estimated four million people in the Philippines in November 2013. Typhoon Haiyan displaced more people from their homes that Hurricane Katrina and the Indian Ocean tsunami combined, which has posed an unprecedented challenge to relief agencies and the Philippines government.
Among those displaced from their homes since Typhoon Haiyan hit the island of Palawan, many thousands are still living in cars, under tarps and in makeshift shelters. In the wet, tropical climate of the Philippines, health officials warn against post-typhoon outbreaks of mosquito-borne illnesses such as malaria and dengue fever.
The active ingredient in Mosquito Dunks is BTI (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis), a naturally occurring bacterium that is deadly to mosquito larvae but harmless to other living things. BTI has been called “nature’s mosquito killer” because it effectively kills mosquito larvae but it has no effect on other insects (such as bees and butterflies)nor does it harm animals, fish, birds, people or plants.
“Immediately after Typhoon Haiyan hit the island of Palawan, I initiated a phone conversation with our distributor in Singapore and arranged for the donation of 10,000 Mosquito Dunks to the Philippines,” said Jonathan Cohen, President of Summit Chemical.
“When a tragedy of this magnitude hits in a warm-weather climate where mosquito-borne illness is a serious danger, we help out whenever we can.” The donation of Mosquito Dunks to the Philippines relief efforts isn’t the first time that Summit Chemical Company has helped out after major catastrophes. Mosquito Dunks were donated to Haiti after the devastating earthquake hit in 2010, and Mosquito Dunks were also sent to the New Orleans area after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005.
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