Sri Lanka's Mawbima holds the distinction of printing "the world's first mosquito-repelling newspaper," according to Core77. With the help of advertising agency Leo Burnett, the publication carried out a multi-step campaign in an attempt to help combat dengue, a mosquito-borne disease. Mawbima began by placing large posters at bus shelters throughout the country. Each of these notices was coated with citronella, a natural insect repellent. Following that, Mawbima published a week-long series of educational articles detailing ways to combat the disease, before finally printing a special edition of the newspaper on World Health Day. The ink used was mixed with citronella in hopes of dissuading the deadly mosquitos from feeding on readers.

According to the World Health Organization, over 2.5 billion people are at risk of contracting dengue, which is also known as "breakbone fever" due to its virulent symptoms. The disease has recently become a problem even in the United States, where it was eradicated nearly 70 years ago.