Malaria prevention through insecticide treated nets

Sleeping under an insecticide-treated net (ITN) is the most widely adopted preventive measure against malaria. ITNs are effective because in the majority of malaria-endemic regions of the world, the female mosquito that transmits malaria only bites at night. ITNs – and in particular long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs), represent a cost effective means of malaria prevention for at risk populations.

This highly effective vector control method protects people from malaria-carrying mosquitoes in at least three ways:

• By acting as a physical barrier between mosquitoes and the people sleeping under the net;
• The chemical in ITNs repels mosquitoes, or kills them when they land on the net;
• Through the ‘community effect’, which occurs when the majority of people in a community sleep under an ITN, resulting in an overall reduction of the mosquito population and its lifespan, thereby reducing the transmission of malaria.

This advocacy brief provides an overview of different types of nets, distribution methods, insecticide resistance, Malaria Consortium's response and a list of recommendations.

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Issues: Malaria

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