Next-generation mosquito net is highly effective at reducing malaria among children, study finds 

Next-generation mosquito net is highly effective at reducing malaria among children, study finds. 

For decades, long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) have proven to reduce malaria cases across sub-Saharan Africa. However, in many countries, high levels of mosquito resistance to pyrethroid-only nets have compromised progress. According to the 2020 World Malaria Report, 78 countries reported mosquito resistance to at least 1 of the 4 commonly-used insecticide classes in the period 2010–2019.

The rise of insecticide resistance has accelerated the urgency for next-generation bed nets and other malaria prevention tools that combat insecticide resistance. One of those tools – BASF’s Interceptor® G2 mosquito net has proven to be highly effective in reducing malaria prevalence among children in areas with high levels of mosquito resistance, according to a recent study published in The Lancet. 

In Tanzania, a group of researchers from the Joint Global Health Trials scheme, US Agency for International Development, and the U.S. President’s Malaria initiative conducted a 24-month epidemiological study in Tanzania. The team evaluated new classes of LLINs with two active ingredients with differing modes of action against resistant malaria vectors. They found that the Interceptor® G2 mosquito net, , an LLIN with a novel combination of active ingredients, reduced malaria prevalence among children by 43% and 37% in the first and second year respectively compared to the standard pyrethroid-only long-lasting insecticidal net. Interceptor® G2 also reduced clinical episodes of malaria by 44% over two years and the number of malaria-infected mosquitoes captured by 85%.

The study found that Interceptor® G2  is not only effective, but also cost-effective, thanks to a multi-year partnership between BASF, MedAccess, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Per MedAccess: 

“A four-year agreement announced in 2019 with MedAccess and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation enabled BASF to better plan long-term resources and reduce the cost of the Interceptor® G2 nets by an average of 40% over the contract period. The agreement makes the nets more affordable for countries where insecticide resistance is growing and conventional nets are becoming less effective. It covers up to 35 million nets, which will help protect the health of millions of people where the nets are being distributed, currently in 14 countries in sub-Saharan Africa by the New Nets Project, a collaboration led by the Innovative Vector Control Consortium with the Global Fund and Unitaid.”

Read more about the study published in The Lancet and the impact it will have on public health initiatives across the world in MedAccess.