A newspaper in Sri Lanka has saved lives be imprinting its pages with mosquito repellent to stop the spread of deadly dengue fever.
According to the Mawbima newspaper, the illness has reached “epidemic proportions”, with more than 30,000 people infected in 2013.
The combination was first tested in adverts where large letters were printed with the special ink, then on posters at bus stops.
The paper also ran articles on how to prevent dengue and gave mosquito repellent patches to schoolchildren.
On World Health Day, in April, Mawbima published what it believes is the world's first mosquito-repelling newspaper, with every word printed in the citronella ink.
It is not clear whether the paper will continue the special printing but the company may be inspired by the effect it had on sales.
The paper reportedly sold out by 10am - a sales increase of 30 per cent – and increasing its readership by 300,000 people.
-independent
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