The Sesame Street Muppets have long taught kids across the globe about many educational lessons like the alphabet and numbers. Now, the famous red character, Elmo and his friend Raya are teaching children in Latin America and the Caribbean on how to avoid mosquito bites, in order to curb the spread of Zika virus.
Sesame Street will work with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the regional office of the World Health Organization for the campaign. PAHO has uploaded a video clip on social media as a way to introduce the project.
The people behind Sesame Street's non-profit educational organization, Sesame Workshop, teamed up the two Muppets to share important information on how to protect one's self from mosquito bites and stop the virus from spreading.
The public service announcement videos are in Spanish and Portuguese, and will be aired on "Plaza Sésamo," the Latin American version of the "Sesame Street."
Videos Tackle Prevention And Protection
The first message of Elmo and Raya aims to stop Zika virus and other mosquito-borne illness even before they start. The video shows how kids can help prevent the spread of infected mosquitoes by not letting stagnant water accumulate through covering water bowls, emptying water basins and removing all possible breeding grounds.
The second video shows children on ways to protect themselves from mosquito bites. Elmo and Raya discuss wearing long sleeves and pants when playing outdoors, using repellents and keeping doors or windows screened.
"Our most important tool to combat Zika - and at the same time, dengue and chikungunya - is control of the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that transmit these diseases," Dr. Marcos Espinal, director of PAHO/WHO's Department of Communicable Diseases, said.
"Since these mosquitoes live in and around houses, this will take a concerted effort with intensified community engagement to reduce the number of mosquitoes in the Americas. We are also looking urgently at improving control methods including insecticides and other technologies," Espinal added.
Zika Virus Now In 33 Latin American Territories
Zika virus has now spread to a total of 38 countries, including 33 in Latin America. The mosquito-borne illness has been linked to the sudden surge of microcephaly, a birth defect causing babies born to have smaller heads than usual. It has also been linked to paralysis or Guillain-Barre Syndrome among adult victims.
