BASF's Interceptor® Net Passes Test in New Field Study on Long Term Use
24 January 2011London, 24 January 2010: Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) are recommended as the most cost-effective and sustainable mosquito net for malaria prevention. The technology of LLINs was developed in the late 1990s as a response to the poor re-treatment process associated with conventional mosquito nets.
In order for public funds to be spent on a Long Lasting Insecticidal Net, a mosquito net is required to hold a recommendation from the WHO Pesticide Evaluation Scheme (WHOPES) that a specific LLIN brand is suitable for malaria prevention and public use.
Malaria Consortium has conducted a study on the BASF Interceptor® brand of LLINs which has received an interim recommendation from the WHOPES. A report has been published on results from four years of field testing in an area of Western Uganda where other LLIN brands are also being used, allowing for direct comparisons.
In five villages, 190 Interceptor® LLINs and 90 conventionally treated nets were distributed randomly and used by families. A baseline survey was carried out and following that a household survey was conducted every six months to look at use, washing habits and physical condition of the nets. Randomly selected nets were collected after six, 12, 24, 36 and 48 months and tested for remaining insecticide content and ability to knock-down and kill malaria transmitting mosquitoes.
The study showed that after four years 29 percent of the nets were still in good condition while 13 percent were seriously torn with no difference between the LLIN and control nets. The conventionally treated nets quickly lost insecticide and after 24 months only seven percent of the original dose remained. Optimal effectiveness in bio-assays was found in 83 percent of the sampled LLINs after three years and 71 percent after four years.
The study concluded that Interceptor® fulfilled the criteria for level III of the WHO Pesticide Evaluation Scheme over three years based on the conditions in Western Uganda of moderate climate and the frequency of washing. Data from a four year follow up suggests that performance does not drop radically but gradually, indicating a ‘useful life’ of the product for approximately four years in these settings.
Click here to read the whole study.
For more information, please contact Diana Thomas, [email protected]
more
Latest news
- Malaria Consortium honoured by Ugandan government for contribution to combat malaria23rd April 2024
- International summit calls for AMR accountability in public health interventions21st March 2024
- Global SMC community celebrates new milestone at SMC Alliance Annual Meeting in Nigeria6th March 2024
- Scaling up key interventions could halve pneumonia-related childhood mortality13th February 2024
- Malaria Consortium and eGov Foundation join Mozambique’s national malaria programme to digitalise seasonal malaria chemoprevention campaigns8th February 2024
- World’s first malaria vaccine rollout launched in Cameroon22nd January 2024