Athletes don’t leave any stones unturned. Take football hero Anton del Rosario for instance. The booter, who currently plays for Kaya (a team under the United Football League) and used to be one of the more prominent faces in the national football team Azkals, is already on the soccer field even before sunrise. With training that lasts until late in the afternoon six times a week, there is no question with regard to Anton’s commitment in being the best in the game.
But being outdoors for such a lengthy period of time and in various weather conditions—from scorching heat to pounding rain—poses a host of challenges, such as heatstroke and physical injury. Another is being bitten by dengue-lamok and contracting the dreaded disease. The risk inevitably increases when athletes have to compete in various sports venues across the country and Asia. Because of dengue, his ex-teammate from Azkals OJ Porteria missed the AFF Suzuki Cup, the tournament which Anton played in 2010.
He may have been born and raised in the United States, but Anton, who has lived and played football in the Philippines for more than a decade, is aware of the threat of dengue. “Dengue is out there; it could reach anyone,” he says. “Athletes, although we are in shape and supposedly fit, are still vulnerable to those fatal mosquito bites.”
Dengue recently hit close to home when Anton’s little niece contracted the dreaded disease. “She was actually given 10 percent chance of survival,” Anton says thoughtfully. “She got lucky because she pulled out of it.”
Because of his personal encounter with dengue, Anton considers it as “scary” and “nothing to be messed around with.” With dengue having no vaccine and being indiscriminate of its victims—from a young girl to a robust athlete—Anton maintains that, “Protection is very important. You have to take all your precautionary measures to avoid it.”
This is why Anton, who hopes to play again for the national football team Azkals next year, regularly uses Green Cross Insect Repellent Lotion Active Protect. It is specifically designed for people like Anton who are always outdoors, travel a lot and work hard. “It’s something that people should be using, especially those who are active,” he says. “Falling ill during a football season could make you lose a game, even a championship.”
Anton likes the fact that Green Cross Insect Repellent packs an unbeatable maximum 10-hour protection against both Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus - the two dreaded dengue vectors that bite during the day and night. “It’s day and night protection for me against both types of mosquitoes in just one product,” he says. “I like putting it on because it has a cool, non-greasy feel, unlike other insect repellent lotions I’ve tried. It has a great, fresh scent too.” Currently, the 31-year-old booter is competing for the UFL Cup whose championship will culminate right before Christmas and his birthday, which falls on December 23. Anton is glad that he will be able to spend the holidays with the del Rosario family, his fiancée Samantha Richelle and their three-year old son Myles.
Just like his dad, Myles is already showing signs of following in the footsteps of his father. He likes to run around and kick a ball in the playground. “I always make sure he has mosquito protection on him,” Anton says. For Myles, it’s Green Cross Insect Repellent in Gentle Protect, which is most suitable for children’s skin.
Anton says that it is important to have both the parents and their kids protected from dengue-lamok. “Let me put it this way, the kids need their parents,” he says. “Nothing offers better peace of mind than a healthy and active family.”
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