Jatinangor, June 10, 2026 – Communication Science students at Padjadjaran University carried out a communication empowerment program entitled “SERASI” (Lemongrass for Clean Sanitation) in Cileles Village, Jatinangor District, Sumedang Regency. This program is designed as a form of public awareness effort to prevent the spread of chikungunya disease, a disease transmitted through mosquito bites and its symptoms resemble dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), which has recently become the concern of the local community.
Chikungunya is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which causes sufferers in general to experience high fever, joint pain, and skin rashes that can last for several weeks. The increase in chikungunya cases in Cileles Village encourages students to present prevention solutions that are simple, natural, and easy to apply by residents. Based on information from the Chairman of RT 01/RW 09 Cileles Village, Mr. Toto, there were around 40 residents who had contracted chikungunya. Meanwhile, the handling efforts carried out by the health center so far are still focused on case monitoring and fogging, so more sustainable preventive measures are needed and target the root of the problem.
Students choose lemongrass as the main ingredient because its citronella content is known to be effective in repelling mosquitoes naturally, safe for health, and easy to obtain. The manufacturing process begins with chopping the stems and leaves of lemongrass clean, then the chopped results are mashed by mixing water using a blender, the lemongrass that has been mashed is then filtered until separating the lemongrass extract from the pulp, the lemongrass extract is then packaged into small bottles which will later be distributed to residents.
The core activities of this program target two target groups, namely elementary school students and the community of Cileles Village. To elementary school students, students carry out socialization in the classroom by providing education about the importance of maintaining environmental cleanliness, the dangers of mosquitoes, various diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, the use of lemongrass extract as a natural alternative to mosquito repellent, and how to make lemongrass extract. The same material is also delivered to the people of Cileles Village through the door to door method, but with a communication approach that is tailored to the characteristics and needs of each resident so that information can be understood more effectively.
Realizing that clean and healthy living habits need to be instilled from an early age, the SERASI (Serai for Clean Sanitation) Program reaches the early age group through special educational sessions for elementary school students in Cileles Village. Students design a simpler and more communicative approach so that health messages can be easily conveyed, by introducing the dangers of mosquitoes that cause chikungunya through the medium of interesting and interactive images. This method succeeds in creating a fun and effective learning atmosphere, children are invited to recognize the characteristics of places at risk of becoming mosquito nests and are encouraged to get used to maintaining environmental cleanliness from an early age. The high enthusiasm and many spontaneous questions from the students are clear evidence of the growing awareness of environmental health as an important capital for future generations.
In the implementation of the door-to-door program to residents, as a follow-up, the student group plans to monitor the use of lemongrass samples, to ensure that its implementation runs according to directions and provide optimal results in suppressing mosquito breeding in the surrounding environment. Devy, as the chairman of the implementation group, emphasized that the door-to-door approach was chosen so that education could be delivered directly and personally to each resident. “We want residents not only to receive information, but also to directly practice making natural mosquito repellent from lemongrass extract that we introduced. It is hoped that this habit can be continued independently by residents, even after our program is completed,” said Devy.
The Chairman of RT 01/RW 09 Cileles Village, Mr. Toto, welcomed this student initiative. “There were quite a lot of chikungunya cases here, but the handling was just fogging, there has been no prevention from the beginning. If there is a natural way like lemongrass like this, of course it is very helpful for the residents,” he said.
One of the residents of Cileles Village, Mr. Tarya, admitted that he was helped by this program. “So far, we have only used ordinary mosquito repellent. After being explained and given an example of this lemongrass extract, it turns out that the method is easy and the ingredients are also around the house,” said Mr. Tarya.
Through the “SERASI” empowerment program, students hope that the residents of Cileles Village can be more vigilant about the spread of chikungunya and have natural, cheap, and sustainable mosquito repellent alternatives. This program is also expected to encourage the active participation of residents, including children, in maintaining environmental cleanliness to break the chain of spread of mosquito-borne diseases in Cileles Village.